| Viking
Roots |
| The
Scales surname is of Scandinavian origin. Two
possible original forms in the Old Norse are skali
(a shelter or shieling) and scala (a
mountain cwm or habitation). It is interesting to
note that the latinised version of the name in
early English documents is Scalis and
that the name may have arrived in Italy as Della
Scala. Scalae is coincidentally
also the Latin for staircase or ladder
(see The Italian Connection? on this
site for further information). |
| There
are three hamlets in Cumbria called Scales
(see below). As far as I am aware, none of these
places has given rise to the surname Scales;
the names are probably descriptive. |
| The
Vikings (Danish and Norwegian) began to invade
northern France in the early ninth century and
were officially granted the land that now
corresponds to the eastern part of Normandy in a
treaty of 911. Normand
is the word for northman in several
Scandinavian languages. By 933 they had grabbed land to
the west making up an area that more or less
corresponds to the present geographical region of
Normandy. The Northmen became the
frenchified Normans through the merging of
their language and culture. |
| The
Duchy of Normandy emerged around 1000. William
II, Duke of Normandy, laid claim to the English
throne when his cousin Edward the Confessor died
without heir. The claim was disputed by Harold,
leading to the Norman Conquest of England.
English nobles were initially permitted to keep
their land, but rebellions over the next four
years led William to grant much of it to his own
followers and the native English aristocracy was
essentially wiped out. One of the Norman nobles
who had come over with William was a certain
Hardouin d’Escaliers, who became Hardwin de
Scalers when he settled in England (Escalier
is also the French for staircase). |
| It
is not absolutely certain that Hardwin was the
ancestor of those now called Scales, as the name
could have arisen independently. However,
genealogists tend to assume that the name is
descended from Hardwin. |
| |
| Scales
Placenames |
| The three Cumbrian hamlets called
Scales are shown on the maps on the right and
below. The one at the top right lying 8 miles
north-east of Keswick is the best known,
especially to walkers. I’ve known this place
for some time. There is a nice pub called the White
Horse Inn. It is the start of a superb walk
up Blencathra via Scales Fell, Scales Tarn and
Sharp Edge. The one at bottom right is 6 miles
south of Ulverston. The one below is 14 miles
north-east of Penrith. There are farms here
called Scales Hall, Low Scales and Howscales.
Both of these hamlets were new to me at the time
I started doing this research. |
| |
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