Conception Bay, Newfoundland
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Conception Bay, Newfoundland
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Generations of PorterE.R. Seary's Book of Newfoundland NamesThis is what he says ...A surname of England, Scotland and Ireland, fro Old French portier, Anglo-French porter - door-keeper, gatekeeper (of a castle or monastery), or from Old French porteour - carrier, porter. Of the first function, Black comments: "the porter was one of the most important officials connected with the castle or monastic institution. Lands and privileges were attached to the office, and in the case of a royal castle the position was often hereditary. The porter of a religious house was also the distributor of the alms of the convent, for the poor were always supplied ad portam monasterii, at the gate of the monastery. He also kept the keys and had power to refuse admission to those whom he deemed unworthy." (Reaney, Cottle, Black). Traced by Guppy in thirteen (13) counties and by Spiegelhalter also in Devon. MacLysaght comments: "Though essentially English in origin there are few names which occur more widely in every kind of Irish record relating to all the provinces, except Connacht, from the thirteenth century to modern times. It is numerous now especially in Ulster." In NewfoundlandFamily tradition:Porter, from Bristol, settled at Change Island (MUN Folklore) Early instances:
Scattered in Lovell 1871
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