This list of nicknames of old Meggies was compiled by Eliza Thickett née Gray (1874–1952), who lived in Cleethorpes all her life. It passed to her daughter Dorothy Behrend (1913–1995).
This list has not been published before. The original handwritten pages are not numbered, so the order is uncertain. In a few places the writing is unclear.
Click on a number in square brackets to see the corresponding item in the Notes.
{1}
| Polly Gray [1] | Crow Appleyard |
| Prompt„ | Night„ |
| Stower„ | Post Joey [3]„ |
| Mammy„ | General [4]„ |
| Tich„ | Meaty Coulbeck |
| Baggy„ | Pie„ |
| Billy Hundred [2] Appleyard | Chelsea„ |
| Bobby Smatcher„ | Native„ |
| Sammy„„ | Greeney„ |
| Tich (Cockles)„ | Sprolly Chapman |
| Stepper„ | Dusty„ |
| Sop„ | Wesal [5]„ |
| Hosher„ | Scotty Wesal„ |
| Splosh„ | Uncle Coulbeck |
| Bussenger Baker | Nash Coulbeck |
| Gehill„ | Carrue„ |
| Zaccheus„ | Fiddler Chapman |
| Dan„ | Shanta Clayton |
| Butty Burgess | Dunham Croft |
| Bundle Broughton | Happy Grant |
| Cabby Barker | Bully„ |
| Deanem Brown |
{2}
| Gaunt Grant | Bainey Lidgard |
| Waggy„ | Danty Daw„ |
| Dame„ | Checker Coulbeck |
| Skipper„ | Lay [?]„ |
| Jimbo„ | Shep Appleyard |
| Gooda„ | Blokey Hendal |
| Gitter„ | Bunny Dixon |
| Betty Brog Holtby | Red Hoss„ |
| Whacker Holmes | Drummer„ |
| Baggy Hill | West Hotson |
| Bawby Carter | Lucky Dave„ |
| Swearem Dixon | Nick„ |
| Curly„ | Ginger„ |
| Slanny Bell | Hickey Leesing |
| Tacky Johnson | Callas Mumby |
| Gent Frankish | Cocky„ |
| Butter Ned„ | Dad„ |
| Buggy Fowler | Tich„ |
| Nuts Bancroft | Squre [?]„ |
| Gawby Croft | Nobby Cook |
| Squeaker Li[d]gard | Wig Nicholson |
| Parper„ | Cush„ |
{3}
| Dixey Hoodless | Matey Robinson |
| Joe Boggles Lilley | Bon Marche Shute |
| Duke Wesal Chapman | Webs„ |
| Lilo Bayers | Mousehole Taylor |
| Gaul Mackrell | Yorky Sleight |
| Ganny Mackrell | Tatey Dick Appleyard |
| Bookie„ | Billy Cake Waumsley |
| Nipper„ | Studds„ |
| Macken [6]„ | Musha„ |
| Totty Nuttal | Dawbuck„ |
| Mount Osborne | Sniggy„ |
| Brunt„ | Heavens„ |
| Mammy„ | Tal Lidgett |
| Dally Barker | Sprotty Smith |
| Duck Egg [7] Rowston | Sheener„ |
| Scratty„ | Nag Vicars |
| Bricky„ | Peg Vicars |
| Hard Luck„ | Bawby Wilson |
| Croppy„ | Liner Wilson |
| Proppin„ | Tulet [?] Young |
| Paps Robinson | Spriggens„ |
| Toss„ |
{4}
| Bricky Wright | Tiddy Hopkins |
| Tutty„ | Denny Osborne |
| Smooty„ | Quacko Grant |
| Ledam [?] Townsend | Buddy Matthews |
| Dowey Blow | Bump„ |
| Banker Paddison | Sparrow Smith |
| Cherry Smead | Jugger Hammond |
| Punch Sellars | Skinny Lynn |
| Topper„ | Micky„ |
| Queedy Turner | Whiting Vicars |
| Cleck„ | Snowy White |
| Soup Harper | Doc Appleyard |
| Cab Hoss Cook | Dido„ |
| Lamb Frankish | Strut„ |
| Tapper Wilson | Righteous [8] Ab Osbourne |
| Clock Walker | Wicked Ab Osbourne |
| Tots„ | |
| Dumpy Dixon | |
| Dabby Turner | |
| Dona Veo [?] Ridal | |
| Biddy Bramner |
There is a discussion of Cleethorpes nicknames in Frank Baker’s book The Story of Cleethorpes and the Contribution of Methodism (1953), pp. 132–134. He writes:
Another sign of urbanisation was the gradual disappearance of “by-names,” even though these are still used by some of the older inhabitants among themselves. It was obviously necessary in the old days … to have some easy means of distinguishing between three or four bearing the same surname and often the same Christian name. Thus there arose, in many other villages besides Cleethorpes, the practice of conferring nick-names or by-names. At Cleethorpes they have been preserved longer than in most places, and extended to more than those for whom they were really necessary.
Baker goes on to list some eighty of these nicknames, some of which are also in Eliza Thickett’s list above. There is some variation in spelling, as indeed there is with some old Cleethorpes family names (e.g. Osborn, Osborne, Osbourn, Osbourne).
| [1] | At a guess, this might be Eliza Thickett’s mother Mary Jane Gray née Broughton (1853–1946). |
| [2] | Tradition (Baker, p. 133; also remembered by Dorothy Behrend) derives this nickname from the following dialogue: “Mother, there’s millions of cats in our yard!” “Nay!” “Well, thousands!” “Nay!” “Well, hundreds!” “Nay!” “Well, there’s our old cat and another.” |
| [3] | In 1853 ‘the postmastership came to a “Meggie” and a Methodist, Joseph Appleyard. “Post Joey” was also a tailor and a draper, and took in visitors.’ (Baker, p. 103; see also the street directory for 1880). |
| [4] | See C. E. Watson, A History of Clee and the Thorpes of Clee (1901), p. 55. |
| [5] | Nickname of several Chapmans. Baker (pp. 133–4) spells it “Wissal”. |
| [6] | Baker (p. 133) spells this “Makkin”. |
| [7] | As a lad he averred that his grandma’s chickens laid duck eggs (Baker, p. 133). |
| [8] | Baker (p. 133) gives this as this “Religious”. |