Notes & Queries response: Why is the surname Farmer so uncommon when there were large numbers of farmers for so long?
This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 15th January, 2023. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ Why is the surname Farmer so uncommon when there were large numbers of farmers for so long? image generated by Craiyon “If near every man within your narrow horizons is a farmer, then you must look towards those extraneous personal details that serve to distinguish him from his neighbour.” So said Robert May, as he cast his eyeline from the tremoring seat of his tractor, across the scattered village of golden haystacks that dotted the stubbled cornfield, while inwardly his mind's eye roved freely in the past, turning over the old ground and unearthing pieces of history in anecdota...