Friend as kinsman in medieval records
Douglas Richardson
I've started collecting examples of the Latin word "amicus" [friend]
to see if the medieval English people consistently used it to refer to
their kinsfolk. In the instances I've found so far of the word
"amicus" used in medieval texts, it is difficult to determine if the
two people named in the text were closely related, as we have limited
knowledge of the ancestry of most medieval figures, except for the
highest born nobles and royal princes.
One instance of the corresponding French word "ami" appears in the
text, Chronicle of the War between the English and the Scots in 1173
and 1174 (Surtees Soc., vol. 11) (1840), pg. 69. This text was
written c. 1200, by Jordan Fantosme, spiritual chancellor of the
diocese of Winchester. There we find the following statement"
"Li reis Willame d'Escoce ad jà pris Appelbi,
E Rogier de Munbrai que esteit sis amis;
E mettent là dedenz lur serjanz marchis,
E treis cunestables el chastel unt asis"
King William [the Lion] of Scotland has already taken Appleby,
And Roger de Mowbray who was his friend;
And place within it their serjeantrs as warders of the marches,
And they have appointed three constables in the castle"
In the case of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and Roger de
Mowbray, their extended ancestry is fairly well known. Not
surprisingly, I find that both men had a Warenne woman as their
mother. So, in this instance, the two men were closely related and
the word "amis" above should be translated "kinsman."
If anyone knows of other medieval texts either in French, Latin, or
English in which the friend appears to mean kinsman, I'd appreciate it
if they would please post the citation here on the newsgroup. This
collection of references being done to assist John Ravilious' research
on the ancestry of the early baronial Despenser family. John's theory
is that the early Despenser family descends from the Quincy family.
I've provided John a citation involving the word "friend" which would
lend support to John's theory. However, further study is needed to
determine exactly how the word "amicus" (or "friend") was employed in
medieval times. We already know from medieval Latin dictionaries that
"amicus" can be translated as "kinsman."
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
Paul Mackenzie
"Douglas Richardson" <royala...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:5cf47a19.03030...@posting.google.com...
> Dear Newsgroup ~
>
> I've started collecting examples of the Latin word "amicus" [friend]
> to see if the medieval English people consistently used it to refer to
> their kinsfolk. In the instances I've found so far of the word
> "amicus" used in medieval texts, it is difficult to determine if the
> two people named in the text were closely related, as we have limited
> knowledge of the ancestry of most medieval figures, except for the
> highest born nobles and royal princes.
>
> English in which the friend appears to mean kinsman, I'd appreciate it
> if they would please post the citation here on the newsgroup. This
> collection of references being done to assist John Ravilious' research
> on the ancestry of the early baronial Despenser family. John's theory
> is that the early Despenser family descends from the Quincy family.
> I've provided John a citation involving the word "friend" which would
> lend support to John's theory. However, further study is needed to
> determine exactly how the word "amicus" (or "friend") was employed in
> medieval times. We already know from medieval Latin dictionaries that
> "amicus" can be translated as "kinsman."
>
> Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
>
> E-mail: royala...@msn.com
One citation is the following where a mother/step mother is referred to as a
next friend. Sorry I lost the exact reference, but according to my notes it
is in Vol 6 of CIPM.
1321
Giles de Brewes
Writ to the escheator to enquire , &c., on the complaint of Richard le Wolf
and Maud his wife, that the escheator had taken into the king's hand the
manor of knolton and other lands, &c of the said Giles, sometime the husband
of the said Maud, the wardship whereof, and of John son and heir of the said
Giles, pertains to them because the said Maud is next (friend) of the said
heir, and the lands are held in socage, 8 March, 14 Edward 11
CIPM 6 ??:??
Paul Mackenzie
Brisbane, Australia
Chris Phillips
Paul Mackenzie wrote:
> One citation is the following where a mother/step mother is referred to as
a
> next friend. Sorry I lost the exact reference, but according to my notes
it
> is in Vol 6 of CIPM.
>
> 1321
>
> Giles de Brewes
>
> Writ to the escheator to enquire , &c., on the complaint of Richard le
Wolf
> and Maud his wife, that the escheator had taken into the king's hand the
> manor of knolton and other lands, &c of the said Giles, sometime the
husband
> of the said Maud, the wardship whereof, and of John son and heir of the
said
> Giles, pertains to them because the said Maud is next (friend) of the said
> heir, and the lands are held in socage, 8 March, 14 Edward 11
>
> CIPM 6 ??:??
Although "next friend" (or "prochain ami") has a technical meaning - someone
who acts on behalf of a minor in legal proceedings.
Chris Phillips
Reedpcgen
sense. A "next friend" in legal terminology is usually one who pleads in court
on behalf of an infant/minor, and may or may not be a kinsman. We've posted
much on this before (which is in the archives).
One might also ask if it is impossible that a kinsman to whom one might be
related in the fourth or fifth degree might also be a friend, or called a
friend (even though the parties might not necessarily have known they were
related), but not necessarily called a kinsman.
Much of the peerage was related in distant degrees, but not all such
relationships were known at that time by parties who may have become friends by
association. It is worth keeping in mind.
Paul
Douglas Richardson
In my post below, I inadvertedly stated that Roger de Mowbray's mother
was a Warenne. Actually it was his maternal grandmother who was a
Warenne, not his mother. As I calculate it, Roger de Mowbray and King
William the Lion were second cousins.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
royala...@msn.com (Douglas Richardson) wrote in message news:<5cf47a19.03030...@posting.google.com>...
D. Spencer Hines
the time. It was not.
The name _Warenne_ derives from the hamlet of Varenne on the river Varenne in
Normandy.
Deus Vult.
"I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm
ground of Result and Fact."
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill [1874-1965] ---- The Malakand Field
Force [1898]
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Fortuna et Gloria
"Douglas Richardson" <royala...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:5cf47a19.03030...@posting.google.com...
| Dear Newsgroup ~
Douglas Richardson
As a followup to an earlier post, I've encountered the word "amicus"
used in another medieval contemporary document between two people
whose ancestries are well known. As with the Roger de Mowbray-William
the Lion instance I cited earlier, the two parties were closely
related.
This new example comes from an undated letter found in the book,
Letters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France
during the Reign of Henry the Sixth, King of England, by Rev. Joseph
Stevenson, vol. 1 (Rolls Ser., vol. 22, no. 1) (1861), pp. lxxv-lxxvi.
I have abstracted the pertinent part of this document below.
"Letter from Richard the Second, king of England, to Albert, duke of
Bavaria, upon the rebellious conduct of the English nobility.
"Richardus, Dei gratia rex Angliae et Franciae, et dominus Hiberniae,
nobili et potenti viro, Alberto duci Bavariae, comiti Hollandiae et
Zelandiae, amico nostro carissimo, salutem et votivorum successum
continuam ubertatem ..."
As I calculate it, King Richard II of England and Albrecht I, Duke of
Bavaria, were first cousins once removed (King Richard's paternal
grandmother and Albrecht I's mother being sisters). Perhaps someone
can chart the relationship, so the kinship can be plainly seen.
In most documents of this period, the words used to describe one's
kinsman are "consanguineus" (related by blood) or "affinis" (related
by marriage). Exactly why the word "amicus" should be used in rare
cases, I have no idea. The custom of addressing one's kinsman using
the word "amicus" appears to be an ancient custom. The earliest
instance I have found of it so far is the 1100's. I suspect the
custom goes back into the mists of time.
If anyone knows of other examples of the word "amicus" employed as
kinsman, I'd appreciate it if they would post them here on the
newsgroup.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
royala...@msn.com (Douglas Richardson) wrote in message news:<5cf47a19.03030...@posting.google.com>...
> Dear Newsgroup ~
>
> I've started collecting examples of the Latin word "amicus" [friend]
> to see if the medieval English people consistently used it to refer to
> their kinsfolk. In the instances I've found so far of the word
> "amicus" used in medieval texts, it is difficult to determine if the
> two people named in the text were closely related, as we have limited
> knowledge of the ancestry of most medieval figures, except for the
> highest born nobles and royal princes.
>
> One instance of the corresponding French word "ami" appears in the
> text, Chronicle of the War between the English and the Scots in 1173
> and 1174 (Surtees Soc., vol. 11) (1840), pg. 69. This text was
> written c. 1200, by Jordan Fantosme, spiritual chancellor of the
> diocese of Winchester. There we find the following statement"
>
> "Li reis Willame d'Escoce ad jà pris Appelbi,
> E Rogier de Munbrai que esteit sis amis;
> E mettent là dedenz lur serjanz marchis,
> E treis cunestables el chastel unt asis"
>
> King William [the Lion] of Scotland has already taken Appleby,
> And Roger de Mowbray who was his friend;
> And place within it their serjeantrs as warders of the marches,
> And they have appointed three constables in the castle"
>
> In the case of William the Lion, King of Scotland, and Roger de
> Mowbray, their extended ancestry is fairly well known. Not
> surprisingly, I find that William's mother and Roger's maternal grandmother
> were both members of the Warenne family. So, in this instance, the two men
D. Spencer Hines
Richardson's latest "clever" ploy [actually he's been at it for several
months, but he's using it more frequently these days] is:
"Perhaps someone can chart the relationship, so the kinship can be plainly
seen."
D. Richardson
---------------------
Again, he wants people to write his book for him ---- even draw the charts.
He wants to turn us all into his research assistants.
The Genealogy of King Richard II of England and that of Herzog Albert v.
Bayern is well-known.
The fact that Richardson is unsure as to what the two men's relationship is
reveals further evidence that he is poorly qualified in Mediaeval
Genealogy ---- and should by no means be considered an expert.
Renia
Why should "amicus" be used to mean a relative, when there are more apt
words to describe kinship? Amis (Fr) and amicus stem from the Latin
amare, to love and emotion which friends usually feel for each other. In
legal documents, a relationship would need definition. In other
documents, the friendship of more distant kin (if such they were) might
deserve emphasis rather than any degree of kinship that might exist.
Renia
Douglas Richardson
You've spending too much time in that rubber dinghy again. All that
sun fries your brain cells. Do try the sunscreen I recommended.
Maybe that will help. Also, a hat.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
"D. Spencer Hines" <D._Spenc...@usa.yale.edu> wrote in message news:<iWJba.2$l5....@eagle.america.net>...
James Dempster
>
>Why should "amicus" be used to mean a relative, when there are more apt
>words to describe kinship? Amis (Fr) and amicus stem from the Latin
>amare, to love and emotion which friends usually feel for each other. In
>legal documents, a relationship would need definition. In other
>documents, the friendship of more distant kin (if such they were) might
>deserve emphasis rather than any degree of kinship that might exist.
>
It may be inappropriate but it is a usage that spread even to
successor languages. In Scots (Buchan Doric dialect) a Freen is
defined as "a friend OR relation" (Warrack's Dictionary). According to
the more up to date Chambers Concise Scots Dictionary meaning 2 is "a
relative, a kinsman c15th on."
Freenship is described, in meaning 2 as "kinship; kindred, friends,
late 15th-16th centuries"
Be freens to (or) with "be related to, late c19th-present north east"
My parents used, and I have been known to use the phrase "x is a freen
of ours" to describe a relative, especially a more distant one where
the exact relationship isn't immediately known, but you know that
there is one.
James
James Dempster (jdem...@easynet.co.uk)
You know you've had a good night
when you wake up
and someone's outlining you in chalk.
Douglas Richardson
> Why should "amicus" be used to mean a relative, when there are more apt
> words to describe kinship? Amis (Fr) and amicus stem from the Latin
> amare, to love and emotion which friends usually feel for each other. In
> legal documents, a relationship would need definition. In other
> documents, the friendship of more distant kin (if such they were) might
> deserve emphasis rather than any degree of kinship that might exist.
>
> Renia
Dear Renia ~
Thank you for your comments. The medieval Latin word "amicus" can be
translated as kinsman, as indicated below in abstracts from two Latin
dictionaries:
1. Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources: Fascicule I A &
B
(Oxford,1975):
amicus
(sb. m.) friend. b kinsman. c (w. spiritualis) agent (of friar),
proctor.
quia nulla ratione conveniat tanto regi ~um suum optimum . . auro
vendere BEDE
HE II 12; vocato filio suo . . et pluribus ~is suis, dixit: "audite
vos, ~i
mei" DB I 177; ~us velut medicus in necessitate probantur (sic) ANSELM
(Ep.
275) IV 190; invento . .tertio ~o, quem parum dilexerat.., quasi
dimidium ~um
eum reputabat Latin Stories 97; ~i speciales ipsius Willemi State Tri.
Ed. I
10.
2. J. F. Niermeyer, Mediae Latinus Lexicon Minus (Brill: Leiden, New
York, Koln, 1997) pp. 40-41:
amicus:
parent -- kinsman. Per consensu vel voluntate parentum vel amicorum
nostrorum. F. Turon., append., no. 2, Form., p. 164. Venientes
parentes et
amici homine interfecto [i. e. hominis interfecti]. F. Salic. Bignon.,
no. 8,
ib., p. 230. Cum consensu proximorum amicorumque suorum. F. Sangall.
misc., no.
16, ib. p. 387. Cum consensu amicorum et cognatorum meorum. Coll.
Sangall., no.
17, ib. p. 406. Si aliquis de nostris amicis hanc traditionem
infringere
voluerit. STENGEL, UB. Fulda, I no. 142 p. 200 (ca. a. 777-779).
Amici
extrahant mortuum. Leg. Edwardi conf., retr. (a. 1140-1159), c. 36 §
5,
LIEBERMANN, p. 667.
End of quote from dictionaries.
For us to understand the medieval mind, we must first examine the
documents produced by the medieval people and observe their way of
expressing themselves. What I want to know is why and under what
circumstances did medieval people choose to use the word "amicus" (in
Latin) or "ami" (in French) to describe a kinsman, rather than employ
other words such "consanguineus" and "affinis" (in Latin) and "cousin"
and "parent" (in French) to describe such kinship. As such, if you
know of any examples of relatives called "amicus" or "ami," by all
means, please post them. I've already posted three such examples from
medieval documents, including an earlier one involving the Despenser
family. A correct understanding of the usage of the word
"amicus"/"ami" will doubtless yield valuable clues to kinships which
have been previously overlooked.
Reedpcgen
>Dear Renia ~
>Thank you for your comments. The medieval Latin word "amicus" can be
>translated as kinsman, as indicated below in abstracts from two Latin
>dictionaries:
>
>1. Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources: Fascicule I A &
>B
>(Oxford,1975):
Search Result 7
From: Reedpcgen (reed...@aol.com)
Subject: amicus: dictionary meaning for Medieval usage
This is the only article in this thread
View: Original Format
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
Date: 1999/03/11
I thought that as the question of what amicus meant in Medieval England had
come up, and since dictionaries had been cited, I have scanned in the entries
from the following two works, the first of which is the highest authority at
this point for Medieval British usage, the second being Niermeyer, useful for
Continental Europe.
pcr
Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources: Fascicule I A – B
(Oxford,1975):
amicus [CL], friendly, b (of things) congenial.
filia mox matrem fatu correxit amico ALDH. VirgV 1805; gaudet amica cohors de
virgine matre tonantis BEDE (Hymn) HE IV 18; gentem innoxiam et nationi
Anglorum semper, ~issimam Ib. IV 26; me, ~um vestrum, ~iorem vobis reddetis
ANSELM (Ep. 275) IV I90; illam ~is sedavit verbis G. MON. X 3; s1247
exempti..omnibus fratribus grati existentes +amicitiores [MS amiciores]
extiterant
M. PAR. Min. III 19.
b est inimica mihi quae cunctis constat amica/ . . lampas . . Phoebi ALDH. Aen.
97 (Nox) 7; diligit . . quod sibi ~ um est; quod vero natura simile est, id
,~um esse necesse est ADEL. QN 43; 1178 ludus et sollicitudinum depositio
~issima sunt nature P. BLOIS Ep. 15. 56A; natura corporis adhuc viventis
sanguinem ut sibi ~um attraheret NECKAM NR II 98.
2 (sb. m.) friend. b kinsman. c (w. spiritualis) agent (of friar), proctor.
quia nulla ratione conveniat tanto regi ~um suum optimum . . auro vendere BEDE
HE II 12; vocato filio suo . . et pluribus ~is suis, dixit: "audite vos, ~i
mei" DB I 177; ~us velut medicus in necessitate probantur (sic) ANSELM (Ep.
275) IV 190; invento . .tertio ~o, quem parum dilexerat.., quasi dimidium ~um
eum reputabat Latin Stories 97; ~i speciales ipsius Willemi State Tri. Ed. I
10.
b c1150 ~i extrahant mortuum, deponentes in feretrum (Leg. Ed. retr.) GAS 667
(cf. Leg. Ed. ib. 666: parentes interfecti ex utraque parte generis sui); 1285
in omni casu quo minores . .implacitari possunt, . .si..minus personaliter
sequi possint, propinquiores ~i admittantur ad sequendum pro eis (St. 2 Westm.
15) StRealm I 82 (= Ib. 38: prochein ami); I507 racionabilem dotem suam ..in
presencia propinquorum ~orum . .heredis. .infra etatem existentis ..assignari
faciatis Cl 373 m. 5.
c 14.. postea [alii fratres] conduxerunt sibi per ~os spirituales domum
quandam in Cornhyll (Reg. Fr. Min. Lond.) ECCLESTON Adv. Min. app. 156.
3 (sb. f.) friend. b sweetheart, mistress. c (fig.) advocate, patroness.
~a mea in Deo et in vera amicitia ANSELM (Ep. 169) IV 50.
b dulcis amica, vale ! (? SERLO WILT.) Eur. Love Lyric 511; interdumque thoro
sit amica tibi generosa D. BEC. 2819; qua ratione vocatis ~as que potius
inimicissime proculdubio vobis existunt ? GIR. GE II 3; 1303 sacrista optulit
filie Willelmi . .unum firmaculum . .per sic quod deveniret ~a sua (KRAc 332/8)
Cal. Exch. 254.
c philosophia .. mediocritatis ~a GIR TH intr.
J. F. Niermeyer, Mediae Latinus Lexicon Minus (Brill: Leiden, New York, Koln,
1997) pp. 40-1:
amicus:
1. recommande, protege, homme libre en dependance d'un seigneur-- a freeman
who has commended himself to a lord, who enjoys his protection and serves him
as his dependant. Cum omnibus rebus vel hominebus suis aut gasindis vel amicis.
MARCULF., lib. 1 no. 24, Form., p. 58. Item ib. no. 23, p. 57; no. 32, p. 63.
Monasterium una cum omnibus rebus vel hominibus suis, gasindis, amicis,
susceptis vel qui per ipsum monasterium sperare videntur. D. Merov., no. 4 (al.
546). Similiter D. Karolin., I no. 14 (a. 760). Quanticunque amici mei vel
fideles servientes fuerint, semper memores sint nutriturae meae vel
benefactorum
meorum quae circa illos impendi. Test. Bertramni, a. 615, PARDESSUS, I no. 230
p. 212. GREGOR. TURON., Hist. Franc., lib. 3 c. 36.
2. amici regis: les grands dans l'entourage du roi qui jouissent de sa
confidence et qui figurent dans son conseil -- the great men at the king's
court who are his confidants and advisers. Omnes pares et amicos nostros [sc.
regis]. Addit. ad MARCULF., no. 2, Form., p. 111. Eadem verba Cart. Senon.,
no. 28, ib., p. 197. Employe pour designer le maire du palais -- used for the
,,major domus": D. Arnulfing., no. 20 (ca. a. 748). Non solum filios ad
balneum, verum optimatos et amicos ... invitavit. EGIINHARD., V. Karoli, c. 22,
ed. HALPHEN, p. 68. Divisionem thesaurorum ... coram amicis et ministris suis
... fecit, Ib., c. 33, p. 92. E. inter
amicos regis primus. Ann. regni Franc., a. 817, ed. KURZE., p. 148. P. primus
de amicis regis. Ann. Lauriss. min., contin., a. 816, SS., I p. 122. E. dux
[marchiae Bohemicae] et inter amicos regis primus. RUDOLF., Ann. Fuld., a. 849,
ed. KURZE, p. 38. Cum ... consensu omnium amicorum principumque ejus [sc.
Pippini regis]. BRUCKNER, Reg. Alsatiae, I no. 193 p. 118 (ch. a. 762,
interpol. s. xii in.).
3. parent -- kinsman. Per consensu vel voluntate parentum vel amicorum
nostrorum. F. Turon., append., no. 2, Form., p. 164. Venientes parentes et
amici homine interfecto [i. e. hominis interfecti]. F. Salic. Bignon., no. 8,
ib., p. 230. Cum consensu proximorum amicorumque suorum. F. Sangall. misc., no.
16, ib. p. 387. Cum consensu amicorum et cognatorum meorum. Coll. Sangall., no.
17, ib. p. 406. Si aliquis de nostris amicis hanc traditionem infringere
voluerit. STENGEL, UB. Fulda, I no. 142 p. 200 (ca. a. 777-779). Amici
extrahant mortuum. Leg. Edwardi conf., retr. (a. 1140-1159), c. 36 § 5,
LIEBERMANN, p. 667.
4. membre de l',,amicitia" ou commune --- member of the ,,amicitia" or commune.
Lex Amicitiae. Aire-sur-la-Lys a. 1188, ESPINAS, Rec. Artois, no. 20, c. 5.
[end quote of my post from 1999]
I think Renia's point is legitimate, and partly what I was referring to, and
which we have discussed before.
If one is related to another as first or second cousin, and such blood
relationship is very well known, is using the word 'friend' meant to emphasize
kinship, or rather to emphasize personal closeness to another individual?
And, even if 'friend' might in a few instances mean some type of kinship,
unless such relationship is already known, can one safely assume it MUST
indicate kinship? And therefore, would not the phrase "friend and kinsman" be
redundant?
I don't think we ever got an answer to that question these last three years.
Paul
Douglas Richardson
Thank you for your post. My son, William, gets his name from my
great-grandfather's brother-in-law, William Dempster. Small world,
eh? I have a lot of Scottish ancestry in my veins.
Some time ago, I was told that the Scottish people refer to their
relatives as "friends." I'm glad you've been able confirm that
information. However, this custom evidently didn't originate with the
Scottish people. The English did the same thing until around 1600.
I've posted three English examples in recent time on the newsgroup.
They date c. 1200, c. 1260, and c. 1400.
I'm still uncertain as to the cultural connection between the concepts
of "friendship" and "kinfolk." However, the concepts appear to have
been linked in the minds of the medieval period. Here are two brief
quotes in which the two concepts have been brought together:
1. Date 1484:
" .... his brother the duk of Clarence as other his nigh kinnesman and
gret frendes...." [Reference: Letters and Papers illustrative of the
reigns of Richard III and Henry VII, ed. by James Gairdner (Rolls
ser., vol. 24, no. 1), pg. 73-74].
2. Date 1533:
Letter from Henry Pole, Lord Montagu, to his cousin, Arthur
Plantagenet
"I write to you as my friend ... And tell him, of no kinsman he hath
he shall be more assured of to do him pleasure ..." [Reference: Lisle
Letters, ed. by Byrne, vol. 1, pg. 492].
In other letters, Lord Montagu signs as "loyyng cosyn" and "your poore
cosyn," which suggests Lord Montagu viewed himself as Arthur
Plantagenet's "friend" and "kinsman."
As for more specific medieval constructs, one has only to spend a
little time in medieval charters to spot a very common usage of
"friend" as "kinsman." In medieval times, it was routine for someone
to make a gift to a religious house for the souls of their father,
mother, brother, and "all of my other friends." The great J. Horace
Round evidently realized that the Latin word for "friends" in this
context meant "relatives" and translated it as such. Round had a
great deal of experience with ancient charters and evidently
understand the phraseology employed in them quite well. All other
historians I've seen have misunderstood what was being said and
translate the word Latin word "amici" as "friends."
For us to fully understand how the concepts of friendship and kinship
were interlinked, we'll need to closely examine the records that the
medieval man left behind. For starters, I'd very much like to see
more examples of "friend" as "kinsman." If anyone knows of any, I'd
appreciate it if they would post them here on the newsgroup. This is
a complex matter worthy of further study.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
James Dempster <jdem...@easynet.co.uk> wrote in message news:<gj807v8mvepbsqp9j...@4ax.com>...
Gordon Johnson
Richardson) wrote:
>Dear Newsgroup ~
>
>As a followup to an earlier post, I've encountered the word "amicus"
>used in another medieval contemporary document between two people
>whose ancestries are well known. As with the Roger de Mowbray-William
>the Lion instance I cited earlier, the two parties were closely
>related.
** In Scotland in medieval times, the word "friend" was often used to
mean a relative (undefined).
Gordon.