New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesWhettingsteel
HI
Wondering if anyone had any idea of the meaning or origin of the surname Whettingsteel.The Whettingsteel name appears to have come from the village of Boldre in The New forest.
Wondering if anyone had any idea of the meaning or origin of the surname Whettingsteel.The Whettingsteel name appears to have come from the village of Boldre in The New forest.
1
Replies
The Whettingsteel family have strong connections to the Lymington area of the New Forest, and a number still live in the Southampton area.
Always brought up to believe the Whettingsteel name linked to sharpening of steel.
Always brought up to believe the Whettingsteel name linked to sharpening of steel.
1
If we split the name up and make it whetting steel, then it could refer to a steel used for sharpening knives, etc. Then we might conclude that this was a metonymic for a person who made a living with such an implement, or was particularly skilled in its use.
However, I don't feel confident about this interpretation, and lean towards a place name origin. The nearest I can find to Whettingsteel is Whittonstall, located, unfortunately, at the other end of the country from the Whettingsteel territory. Still, you never know.
Coincidentally there is a surname Whetstone, which, as a vocabulary word means a shapening stone, but that surname comes from a place name.
However, I don't feel confident about this interpretation, and lean towards a place name origin. The nearest I can find to Whettingsteel is Whittonstall, located, unfortunately, at the other end of the country from the Whettingsteel territory. Still, you never know.
Coincidentally there is a surname Whetstone, which, as a vocabulary word means a shapening stone, but that surname comes from a place name.
1