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View Full Version : Alias "Kuska" - Breage 1704



kenripper
17-12-2004, 10:28 AM
I believe it shows:
John Repper (als Kuska) ye 19 of Feb buried 1704/5

The use of aliases was prevalent in the Breage registers, often helpful as it can asist in the forming of family groups, sometimes confusing when the real name isn't mentioned, but just the alias. In this instance we have both names. The alias is frequently based upon a place name or a family name. For example Edward Ripper alias Crohall was Edward Ripper who lived at a place called Crohall, Edward Ripper or Singer may have worked in the Singer mine, John Ripper or Williams may have had a mother whose maiden name was Williams.

Kuska is one which appears only once, so far as I can establish, in the register. Can anybody suggest the meaning/origin of the word?

Althea
18-12-2004, 12:33 AM
Hi Ken

You probably have checked, but in Bishops transcripts it is:
"John Repper was buried the 19 day of February"
signed Hen Huthnance

Regards
Althea J

kenripper
20-12-2004, 9:00 AM
I have had an e-mail from a Cornish Language specialist who tells me:

"Kuska is the Cornish verb: to sleep. It is found as both koska and cusca in mordern Cornish."

Any suggestions as to why it would have been an alias for soembody dying in 1705? There are no others with this alias on the page so it's unlikely that it equates with dying and falling asleep.

kenripper
25-02-2006, 8:51 AM
My research has moved on and I am now looking in nearby St Hilary for an associated branch of the Ripper family. Whilst browsing, I find two surnames which may relate to "Kuska". The SLEEP family are resident there around the end of the 18th century as are the KUSKEAS family (modern spelling is Keskeys). I haven't found a reason for the Ripper family to use this alias in Breage yet. Aliases in this area seem to be used to differentiate two people with the same name and sometimes the alias used is the wife's maiden name. I wonder if I have been sent a clue!?

MarkJ
25-02-2006, 10:25 PM
I have had an e-mail from a Cornish Language specialist who tells me:

"Kuska is the Cornish verb: to sleep. It is found as both koska and cusca in mordern Cornish."

Any suggestions as to why it would have been an alias for soembody dying in 1705? There are no others with this alias on the page so it's unlikely that it equates with dying and falling asleep.

It would depend on the version of Cornish you use :)
In Kemmyn, which is the version I speak, the verb would be koska - which is still close to the Kuska name. Wonder if this was a nickname? Perhaps the gentleman was a little sleepy in the mornings? As you say, it would identify Sleepy John from the others in the parish.

1704 in Breage, they may well still have used the Cornish language fairly commonly? I know it was still common in the far west into the 18th century - and even now many of the Cornish words still exist in day to day speech, especially amongst rural and fishing communities.

Mark