{"id":1424,"date":"2021-09-07T15:03:36","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T14:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.faulder.org.uk\/genealogy\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2023-04-10T20:36:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T19:36:23","slug":"the-blizard-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faulder.org.uk\/genealogy\/?p=1424","title":{"rendered":"The Blizard Name"},"content":{"rendered":"
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My mother’s adoptive mother’s paternal grandfather (my Grandmother’s Grandfather) was William Blizard Williamson<\/a> (born Cork, Ireland 1811, died Worcester, England 1878). He had two sons: William Blizard Williamson (the younger) and George Henry Williamson – my grandmother’s father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have written previously<\/a> about them. This post ponders the origin of the Blizard name in our family tree and whether knowing that helps identify further ancestors or the geographical origin of the Williamsons. (There is a rumour that they may have originated in England and another that they originated in Londonderry.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post summarises what I know about the name (not much) and what I would like to know. It is a work-in-progress both in terms of research and content editing.<\/strong> Suggestions are very welcome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post also details the genealogy of Sir William Blizard (1743-1835), a surgeon and founder of the first medical school attached to a hospital, The London Hospital. It may be that William Blizard Williamson was named after this famous person, but if anyone reading this identifies a genealogical link between the two of them … .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, perhaps he was born during a blizzard?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Usually second forenames can honour the names of ancestors. The Presbyterian naming convention is fairly well known and usually relates to ancestors’ Christian names. Elsewhere the second name could be the surname of an ancestor (often going back some way as a “family name”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively a family can acquire an unusual name to honour some public figure who was notable at the time of the birth of a child. (For example, after the Battle of Trafalgar, a number of children where given the name Horatio or Nelson).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually the name appears with a single “z”, but sometimes with a double “z”, “Blizzard”. There are also variants such as “Bleazard”. Some of these may be due to officials guessing the spelling, but “Blizard” and “Blizzard” seem to cover the vast majority of occurrences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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