The New Murrey and Blue blog

We all know that our royals have had nicknames – Longshanks, Rufus, Crouchback, Good Queen Bess, Prinny and, of course, Tricky Dicky. But HICK HEAVYHEAD????? 😲

And who was it? Richard II. Apparently because he was opposed to war when his barons wanted to swarm over to France and kick seven shades out of the place. Oh, well, I guess Hick Heavyhead meant something truly awful and insulting back in the 14th century….

PS: I found the above reference in an excellent book called Names for Boys & Girls by Charles Johnson and Linwood Sleigh. It was published in 1962, and gives a lot of information about the history of names, and when they came into use etc. It’s a bit dated for today’s babies, but as a writer, I wouldn’t be without it, and have already had to buy a replacement because the first one fell apart! Recommended.