Tags:

Elderfield Otterbourne
March 19th 1894

MS UCLA: collection 100: box 95

My dear Lady Mary
I am afraid I never heard of the name of Filian, unless it comes from the Scottish Saint Filam, St Fillan’s cave, Glenfillan. But that was a man, a Fifeshire abbot to whose good will the Scots attributed their victory at Bannockburn. At least so says Alban Butler and Baring Gould, and the latter gives as date 7th century, I cannot get nearer. Somehow I believe there was no capital F in old time and you know some Foulkeses spelt their name ffoulkes. Our F is only the first letter with the second being up inside.1 If there is a Scottish connection it might account for the Filian, but I once read that about the time of Henry III people took to indulging in fanciful invented names for their daughters, so it may have come from thence.

Yours sincerely
C M Yonge

A Gaelic scholar might tell you the meaning

1There is a sketch in illustration.

Cite this letter


The Letters of Charlotte Mary Yonge(1823-1901) edited by Charlotte Mitchell, Ellen Jordan and Helen Schinske.

URL to this Letter is: https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/yonge/3256/to-lady-mary

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.