Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

A question for any CH historian. I am presently reading Max Adams' book "The Prometheans" and the Hunt brothers get some mentions. But it had me thinking why were the houses called Leigh Hunt. It's Coleridge A and B Lamb A and B, not Samuel Coleridge and Charles Lamb so why Leigh Hunt and not just Hunt A and B?

It is a double barrelled surname, not a christian and surname.

Which is how I thought it was, but the historical references I have found all seem to be of the same nature as this:http: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jexaminer.htm
or as Max Adams puts it
"The Hunt brothers John and Leigh" surely if they had a double barrelled sir name writers would refer to John and James Leigh Hunt or if only James had adopted the double barrelled name John Hunt and James Leigh Hunt.
Each reference I have looked at (not many I admit) reads as if the writer thinks he is using Leigh as his first name.

This reference http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biogr ... /Hunt2.htm suggests where the name Leigh comes from but again is written as if he is using Leigh as a first name.

That's interesting - I'd always assumed it was a double barrelled surname. I wonder if he was always referred to with his given name because his older brother John was also well-known at the time? And then it stuck so that people came to think of it as a double barrelled name?

Remember it was not named at the same time - it was Prep A & B originally

Where's Rex when you need him?

Just to muddy the waters a little more, according to this reference James ("our" one) is Leigh Hunt whereas his brother, John, is Hunt.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRleigh.htm

In similar vein, although he never had a house named after him, why do we always refer to Barnes Wallace by both names? That is definitely not a double barrelled name; he was Barnes Neville Wallace.

aka Wallis...

True - it is too early in the day for me to be pedantic - or accurate!!

On reflection - it is actually unforgivable to mis-spell someone's name through sheer carelessness! I have spent a lifetime teaching others how to remember the spelling of my own first name (it is 'i' as in 'him' and 'e' as in 'her' - the same applies to Lesley/Leslie) and pointing out that by getting it wrong they are giving me a sex change! I still fume inwardedly when, 41 years on, my mother-in-law still addresses cards to her first grandchild as Marie, rather than Maria - my parents always cheated and called her Polly! It is perhaps more understandable that others will have problems with a name like Kirrily (especially as she is always called Kirri) but family and friends have had 37 years to get used to it and still don't bother! Katharine will agree with me on that score, I think! Ignorance I can accept; carelessness not! So my apologies to Barnes Neville Wallis, and thank you for putting me right!!

I suppose we are slightly "Off Thread" but-----
I recently changed my Email supplier (From27th Sept) and they insisted on spelling my name with ONE "L"
Regrettably--- their "Customer Service "(Sic) Department, was in a Sub- Continent somewhat East of here -- further difficulties !!!

My Grandson Kerry, was so named by his Parents, after a particular Doctor Friend --------Kerry had a lot of trouble at School, until he became big enough to defend his Gender !! (He will be with me at the Founder's Dinner --- judge for yourselves !!!)

At CH, in Ba B we had a chap whose initials were A.S.S. -------
Parents should be more careful -- and think ahead !

That is precisely why we have a Kirrily Frances Elizabeth Grogan. The Frances was a last minute addition when we realised that otherwise her initials would spell KEG - and her father had just been to a fancy dress party as a Watney's Red Barrel! A relation of ours gave her son the initials RCRC, which seemed to amuse my mother - it was a long time before I realised why!

My grandson's initials are SUCS. I did warn them...