Storeys of Old.

"The fact that the name Story was Latinised into Estuario and that Bolebeck is a translation of it, is very interesting; but this does not in the least prevent the name having an original Norse origin from *Stor, great, vast. In India Story is always pronounced Isturi by the natives, and the Latins may easily have boggled over the same and (as is often done) turned it into a word they knew. Then the Saxon Bolebeck, was given to the Estuarios. Bole is the same as the Gaelic Béol - a mouth-pronounced Bel, and occasionally corrupted into Bally. Beck, of course, is a river. Belleek equivalent to Béol-leek, 'the mouth of the flag stone,' from a flat rock in the river. Balliagh - pronounced Ballinagh (with Spanish ñ or ny) - used always to be more correctly pronounced by the older people Bel-na-nagh. It denotes 'the ford mouth of the horses,' or 'ford of the horses,' and is short for Bel atha (aha) na-nagh. It must not be confounded with Ballinâ. As instances of a foreign race making names of places fit their own language, take Stoney Batter and Booterstown. They are Boher na Clogh and Bally na Boher respectively, and mean 'the road of stones,' and 'the town on the road.' In each case the English knew the meaning of Clogh, a stone, and Bally a town, but did not know Boher, a road (Boherin, diminutive - a lane), so they turned Boher into 'Batter' in one case, and 'Booter' in the other. It would not be hard to find similar instances."

In the "Visitation of Salop" (Harl. Soc., Vol. II., p. 448) a John Stury was bailiff of Shrewsbury in 1373, and bore arms, a lion rampant, queuée, fourchee, purpure, gules. (Harl., 1241.)

These arms are almost identical with those of the Storeys of Rothbury.

The name Stury (modern Storey) frequently appears in Rymer's Fædera.

In Vol. 1., 1066 to 1377, we note that the King orders William de Stury to pacify the mutiny among the soldiers assembled at Norwich, 13th June, 1338. (P. 303.)†

The King informs Alfonso, King of Castile, that he will send Sir William Trussell and Sir William Stury to treat of a marriage between his daughter Joan and Alfonso's eldest son (1st September, 1344).

Power for Philip de Weston and Canon of York, with Sir William Stury, to treat with the Marquis of Brandenbury, 6th June, 1345.

William Stury and Thomas de Melchebourne are appointed to treat with the commonalities of Flanders about circulation and coinage of nobles in Flanders (8th Septem., 1345).

The King authorises William de Stury, Warden of Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and Alderney, John de Bokeland and three others to arrest the ships of Bayonne for the conveyance of the Prince of Wales. 16th July, 1355.

A commission to Sir William de Stury to receive the custody of the Low Countries committed to the King of England by the Empress Margaret, is dated 21st Oct., 1350.

Sir William Stury is appointed Warden of Guernsey, Sark and Aldemey (20th March, 1353).