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A Brief, Incomplete, and Rather Stopgap Article about European Household and Other Group Names Before 1600:
England - Various Using the Word "House"

See the Introduction for an explanation of what is contained in this article, and links to other sections.

(If you know of an article that A Brief, Incomplete, and Rather Stopgap Article about European Household and Other Group Names Before 1600 should link to instead of this section, or one covering a time, culture, language, and/or naming pattern not yet covered, please contact me and let me know!)

England - Various Using the Word "House"

Various different kinds of organized groups of people were named or identified in English using the word "house". Although all using the word "house", the rest of the pattern often differed depending on exactly what kind of group was being named or identified. For example, the patterns used for households were not the same as the patterns used for religious communities.

However, note in particular that so far no examples of the pattern "House X" (as opposed to "House of X", "House of the X", "X's House", or "X House") have been found used in English for any kind of organized group of people prior to late 20th century science fiction/fantasy novels. (It appears that Frank Herbert was the first to use the consctruction, in his novel Dune which was first published in the early 1960s.)

Spellings listed in the header of the Middle English Dictionary (MED) are: "Hous ... Also house, housse, houce, ouese, hus, husse, huis, hws".

Families/Kindreds
Households
Religious Communities

Families/Kindreds

One of the definitions of Hous in the Middle English Dictionary is "5. ... (a) A family ...; descendants and kinsmen, a lineage, kindred" (MED, s.v. hous (n.) ).

One pattern for the identification of families/kindreds used in England (in English) was:

the hous of <territory (in/from a noble title)>

Historical examples include:

• (1464): "Bothe kynges buthe descended of the house of Lancastre." (MED, s.v.ben (v.) )

Another pattern (so far not found outside of Biblical contexts/references) was:

<specific reference to the eponymous ancestor>es hous
that is,
<specific reference to the eponymous ancestor, possessive form> hous
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• ?c1200: "Tatt tatt swa wass hæfedd hird..wass i þatt time Nemmnedd Eleazaress hus, Eleazaress hewenn." [This is a reference to a Biblical character, normally only identified by a single name] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• ?c1200: "Þatt hird wass..3ehatenn Ytamaress hus & Ytamaress hewenn. [This is a reference to a Biblical character, normally only identified by a single name] (MED, s.v. heue (n.(1)) )

Households

One pattern for the identification of households used in England (in English) was:

the hous of <specific reference to the individual who was head of household>
(The general pattern)
Including the specific form:

the hous of <given name> <surname>

Historical examples include:

• (1423-4): "Henry Stapull hath j kilderkyn..yn þe hous of Julyane huxster, dwellynge yn þe aley vnder þe Shaffte yn Cornhill." (MED, s.vv. hukster(e (n.) & alei(e (n.) )

Another pattern was:

<specific reference to the individual who was head of household> hous
(The general pattern)
Including the specific form:

[Sir] <given name> <surname> hous

Historical examples include:

• c1475(1464): "I, the maker of this boke, wase brought up fro twelve yere of age in sir Henry Percy house." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

Another pattern was:

<specific reference to the individual who was head of household>es hous
that is,
<specific reference to the individual who was head of household, possessive form> hous
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• (c1395): "Is this the lawe of-kyng Arthures hous? Is euery knyght of his thus daungerous?" [This is in Aurthurian literuture] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• c1400(?c1390): "What, is þis Arþures hous?" [This is in Aurthurian literuture] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (1452) : "I had never geff cawse to non of my Lords hous to ow me evill will, ne..ther was non of the hows but I wold have do fore as I cow desir anioone to do for me." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (a1475): "A lord..is charged with no such charges..as is the kyng, except an houshold, wich is but litle in comparison off the kynges house." (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

Another pattern (so far not found outside of religious/church references) was:

<specific reference to figurative head of figurative household>es hous
that is,
<specific reference to figurative head of figurative household, possessive form> hous
(The general pattern)

Historical examples include:

• c1275(?a1200): "Of æuer elche huse..ðe king enne peni 3ette to Peteres huse." [Peter was the first pope] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• c1275(?a1200): "Þe pape..weteð Peteres hus." [Peter was the first pope; this reference is to the church as a household] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• (c1384): "For tyme is that doom bigynne of Goddis hous" ["Gloss.: that is, at feithful men of Crist"]. (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )
• a1400: "In iacobes hous regne shal he, And of his regne noon ende shal be; Iacobes hous þere calleþ he Iacob kyng & his meyne, Þat is to say, al folk þat is Chosen to haue heuen blis." ["he" being Jesus, the son Mary will bear] (MED, s.v. hous (n.) )

For more information on households, as well as other terms and patterns used to identify them in English, see Households ( 3 Mar 2007) .

Religious Communities

One of the definitions of Hous in the Middle English Dictionary is "4. ... (b) a religious community or establishment, a monastery, convent, friary; a religious order or fraternity; an establishment for charitable purposes, an alms house" (MED, s.v. hous (n.) ).

One pattern for the identification of religious communities used in England (in English) was:

Saint <saint's name> Hous

Historical examples include:

• ?a1325: "Hail be 3e nonnes of seint Mari house!" (MED, s.v.ben (v.) )

Another pattern was:

the hous of <???>

Historical examples include:

• (1429-30): "J will yat my doghtir Elan be made Nun in ye house of Nun munkton." (MED, s.v.ben (v.) )

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