“Faint-not Batchelor’s house, per annum, £6 0 0.”—“Hist. and Ant. Lewes,” i. 311.
Faint-not occurs in Maresfield Church (“Suss. Arch. Coll.,” xiv. 151). We have already referred to Faint-not, the daughter of “Dudley Fenner, minister of the Word of God” at Marden, Kent.
Fear-not was also in use. The Rector of Warbleton baptized one of his own children by the name; some of his parishioners copied him:
“1594, Nov. 10. Baptized Fear-not, sonne of Richard Maye.
“1589, Oct. 19. Baptized Fear-not, sonne of Willm. Browne.”
Decidedly cheerful were such names as Hope-still or Hopeful. Both occur in Banbury Church. Hopeful Wheatley has already been mentioned.
“1611, June 16. Baptized Hope-still, d. to Edward Peedle.
“1697, Dec. 30. Buried Hope-still Faxon, a olde mayde.”
Whether or no her matrimonial expectations were still high to the end, we are not told.
One of the earliest Pilgrim Fathers was Hope-still Foster (Hotten, p. 68). He went out to New England about 1620. His name became a common one out there. Two bearers of the name at home lived so long that it reached the Georges: