Wot, no Welsh!

[Gordon]

No - that'd be Gwyll.

The Welsh name Gwilym is a version of William [homophones?] and both likely come from Guillaume, Norman French [I'm sure FF will correct me if I am mistaken]. So firing at THAT Will, the Conqueror, would have been useful down in Sussex - had you been a Sais of course!! The Welsh never had much time for the Normans, didn't even give them a name, the English were always the "Saeson" or Saxons. Even the Scots called them Sassenachs.

[vinteuil]

... come now, we all know that Pembrokeshire is part of England rather than Wales.

Well, yes, little England beyond Wales where that most Welsh of English Kings Henry VII was born and brought up as a lad.

... my maternal grandfather had the double heritage - Norman English from Narberth in Pembrokeshire, Welsh from Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire...

[french frank]

The Ferrier family originally came from Pembrokeshire in South West Wales..

... come now, we all know that Pembrokeshire is part of England rather than Wales.

Bof! Ferrier is pure French, direct from Latin.

The Welsh name Gwilym is a version of William [homophones?] and both likely come from Guillaume, Norman French [I'm sure FF will correct me if I am mistaken].

Probably correct, certainly Gwilym. But the original seems to have been Germanic Wilhelm. But, just guessing, I'd think William also came from the French form rather than the Germanic. Though, anyway, the Normans weren't really French - they were Scandinavians.

[Gordon]

Bof! Ferrier is pure French, direct from Latin.

Well there you go then, b****y Normans again!! Marcher Lords the lot of them, came around the easy way through Glamorgan on their way to Ireland. Rough lot, no wonder William the C sent them to deal with the Celts, got the troublemakers out of his way after Hastings. Ferrier a possible corruption of Farrier? Horses? Ferrier sounds Latin, something to do with Iron? - hence Smith and then to horses' shoes.

Probably correct, certainly Gwilym. But the original seems to have been Germanic Wilhelm. But, just guessing, I'd think William also came from the French form rather than the Germanic. Though, anyway, the Normans weren't really French - they were Scandinavians.

I could see that Wilhelm would sneak in via the Franks and be passed via the language to the Normans.

Anyway, I don't care what you call them, foreigners. Snuck under inadequate immigration laws. Anyone carrying a Sword and a Firebrand and riding a Destrier was let in without question. The Sussex revenue never bothered looking for the contraband Armagnac.

[vinteuil]

Well there you go then, b****y Normans again!! Marcher Lords the lot of them...

.

... yep, that's my lot.

[french frank]

Ferrier sounds Latin, something to do with Iron? - hence Smith and then to horses' shoes.

Yes. Ferrarius - farrier (from ferrier - vowel alteration as in Derby, Berkeley, clerk, je suppose).

[amateur51]

But before you get too carried away, I'm from Lancashire too, though in traitorous sort of way, I live in Yorkshire.

Timed right, citizens of Todmorden could claim this

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Timed right, citizens of Todmorden could claim this

Well, not quite, Todmorden has been in Yorkshire since 1888, but the Post Office thought otherwise.
Before that date, the town was split between the two counties.

[BBMmk2]

Well, I have the best of four or five different ancestral links! ;)

[vinteuil]

Well, I have the best of four or five different ancestral links! ;)

... I think you will find that most of us are descended from Adam...

[ahinton]

Well there you go then, b****y Normans again!! Marcher Lords the lot of them

Does that by chance include (for you, at least), Dr Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, i.e. part of the so-called "Marches"? He's not been palmed off into the House of Lords yet, or so I understand...

[ahinton]

... I think you will find that most of us are descended from Adam...

But Adam who? Smith? Harasiewicz? Ant? Faith (aka Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright)?...

[Beef Oven!]

But Adam who? Smith? Harasiewicz? Ant? Faith (aka Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright)?...

Adam Liberty.

[ahinton]

Adam Liberty.

Thank you for clarifying this, if indeed you have done so...