Person talk:George Harding (13)

Surname [23 August 2013]

I have changed the surname to Berkeley, in accordance with The Complete Peerage, the Dictionary of National Biography, and so on. Berkeley was often referred to as "George Harding" in authors' dedications, however not "consistently", as the earlier version of the Wikipedia article still appearing here has it. For example, Robert Burton in his dedication in the Anatomy of Melancholy calls him George Berkeley. George's older contemporary John Smyth, who was steward of the Berkeley estates and personally very familiar with the family, and moreover compiled the family history from the Berkeley manuscripts, consistently calls the family "Berkeley", making no exception for George. George's grandfather's monumental inscription calls him "Sir Henry Berkeley knight lord Berkeley, Mowbray, Segrave, and Beouse, lord Lieutenant of the County of Glouc." (The grandfather died when George was 12 years old.) As always, I am open to evidence contradicting what I have asserted here. --Werebear 12:58, 23 August 2013 (EDT)

OK, maybe this is overkill, but I have checked some parish records and these seem consistent with the family name being "Berkeley" too. For example, from the marriage of his son: "George Berkeley onely sonn to ye right honourable George Lord Berkley was marryed to Elizabeth Massingberd daughter to John Massingberd Esq. 11 Aug 1646." (Transcription from Morden, Surrey parish registers). And the Inq.P.M. of his mother calls him " the Right Hon. Sir George Berkeley, knt., Lord Berkeley, Mowbray, Segrave and Breouse, son and heir apparent..."--Werebear 13:13, 23 August 2013 (EDT)

I'm prepared to agree with any position on this that you want to take! :)! --jrm03063 19:01, 23 August 2013 (EDT)