"Maréchal" and its English variants "Marshal" and "Marshall" have an
interesting history. In French, the title "Maréchal" can be applied to
persons of many occupations:
"maréchal, aux = (armée française) marshal (of France); (armée
britannique) field marshal
maréchal de camp = brigadier
maréchal des logis = sergeant (artillery, cavalry etc)
maréchal des logis-chef = battery or squadron sergeant-major
maréchal-ferrant = blacksmith"
House of Names: Noms de Profession
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp/sId./kbId.25/qx/knowledgebase.htm
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"Marshall... is an occupational name and if a present-day equivalent
had to be found probably 'farrier' or even 'horse-doctor' would be
acceptable. All this can be better understood if the two units of the
name - 'mar-' and 'shall' are analysed. The first is ultimately
derived from an old Nordic word 'marho' which eventually appeared in
Anglo-Saxon as 'mearh'. This describes 'horse' in the masculine sense
and has a corresponding feminine counter part by way of 'mere' - now
modern English 'mare'. The second unit ('-shal') has evolved from
'schall' and this is also an extremely old Germanic expression which
signifies 'servant'. It has survived in the archaic word 'seneschal'
which is still occasionally encountered - e.g. the Administration of
the Island of Sark. In Germany today the word 'schalk' has gone
through changes of meaning and now means 'rogue' or 'trickster'. An
indication that 'marshal' was Germanic and very old is revealed in
that it had no classical Latin counterpart and so medieval scholars
were obliged to concoct a bit of pseudo-Latin - 'mariscalcus' when it
had to be mentioned in their writings. This disposes of the
misconception that the word is derived from Latin...
It is not easy to trace the successive stages through which the word
progressed, eventually to end up as 'a farrier'... The most that can
be suggested is that both 'marshal' and 'farrier' must have run
alongside for a very long time and both bore much the same meaning...
It is curious to note that in modern French the word 'marechal' is
still used to describe a farrier: so also in Italy, as 'maniscalo'."
What's in a Name? MARSHALL
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/DBY/NamesPersonal/Marshall.html
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"Originally a Marshall was a shoeing blacksmith, but as the importance
of horses grew in both the economic and social life of the age, the
importance of men expert in their care and selection grew too. In the
11th, 12th, and 13th centuries a Marshall was a man in charge of the
horses. The root of the word is probably the old French word mareschal
meaning ?one who tends the horses'. The earliest record of the name is
Goisfridus Marescal in 1204."
RootwWeb: About the Marshall Surname
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~marshalldna/MarshallDNA1/about_the_project.htm
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"marshal - 1218, from O.Fr. mareschal, originally 'stable officer,
horse tender, groom,' from L.L. mariscaluis, from Frank. (cf. O.H.G.
marahscalc 'groom'), from P.Gmc. *markhaz 'horse' + *skalkaz
'servant'. "
Online Etymology Dictionary: Marshal
http://www.etymonline.com/m2etym.htm
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"The term 'marshall' comes from Old Frankish marhshelk, literally
horse servant. A marechal was a man who had charge of the horses in
Norman France. The Normans brought their marechals to England with
them and the name soon became Anglicized to marshall."
The Farrier & Hoofcare Resource Center: A Short History of the Term "Farrier"
http://www.horseshoes.com/advice/ryan1/thsofttr.htm
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"The name Marshall, both as a surname and as a title, is familiar to
all. The name means, literally, horse-servant and in this sense it is
still used in France (marechal, meaning a farrier).
This form in old High German is maraschalh which passed through Low
Latin as mariscalcus into Old French as mareschal. It was introduced
into England, Scotland and Ireland with the coming of the Normans.
Then a normal way of getting about for the more prosperous was on
horseback. The man who looked after the horses was the Marshall. Even
the root word is found in the Saxon tongue and schalk, a servant,
though now obsolete, seems to have been in familiar use in early
times.
Under the form of Marshall the name has risen in status. Horses were
so important for fighting and hunting and as a status symbol from the
earliest recorded times that the care of the stables, in royal
circles, was an honour given to one of the king's most trusted men.
In the days before the Norman Conquest the word for this important
position was Horse-thegn but afterwards it was replaced by the old
French mareschakl( horse servant).
The word in England developed along two different lines. At court and
in the households of great men it continued to rise in status until it
reached the dizzy height of the premier earldom of England. In
Scotland positions like constable and steward became post of great
dignity."
Marshall Family Webpages: THE MARSHALL NAME
http://www3.sympatico.ca/fmarshall/
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"The rank of marshal goes back to the early Middle Ages, originally
meaning the keeper of the King's horses. In the 1300s, a distinction
began to be drawn between "court marshals" and 'military marshals'. In
1560, France established the title Marshal of France (Fr. Marechal de
France), and by the time of the Thirty Years War, most Continental
armies had a field marshal or two."
Science Daily: Field Marshal
http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/Marshal
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"The title of field marshal, as applied in the British and German
armies, or marshal, in the French and [Russian] armies, comes from the
old French mareschal, which originally meant a blacksmith or tarrier.
In the French army a farrier still has the title of maréchal ferrant.
As time went on, the king's horseshoer, or farrier, rose in importance
until the title became equivalent to "master of the horse" at the
French court and gradually assumed great military importance. Later,
in the French royal armies of the 18th century [C.E.], the need was
felt for a rank of subordinate general officers, as in Cromwell's
army, to take charge of the camp, administration, the divisions of the
army, and so forth. By that time, the original importance of the title
had been lost, but it was revived as maréchal de camp, which was about
the equivalent of the major general of the British Army in status,
ranking below the lieutenant general but senior to all colonels. This
title disappeared under Napoleon, who, however, created the higher
title of marshal of the empire, for a senior general officer ranking
all generals and serving generally as the commander of an army or an
army corps. In the British Army, the title of field marshal as the
highest ranking grade was first known in 1736."
Xenograg: Origins of European Army Ranks
http://xenograg.isauras.com/excerpts/war/ranks.php
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"Hard-riding marshals of the Wild West in pursuit of criminals
reemphasize the relationship of the word marshal with horses. The
Germanic ancestor of our word marshal is a compound made up of
*marhaz, 'horse' (related to the source of our word mare), and
*skalkaz, 'servant,' meaning as a whole literally 'horse servant,'
hence 'groom.' The Frankish descendant of this Germanic word,
*marahskalk, came to designate a high royal official and also a high
military commander - not surprising given the importance of the horse
in medieval warfare. Along with many other Frankish words, *marahskalk
was borrowed into Old French by about 800; some centuries later, when
the Normans established a French-speaking official class in England,
the Old French word came with them."
American Heritage Dictionary: Marshal
http://www.bartleby.com/61/24/M0122400.html
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To understand how a term which originally described a person who dealt
with horses came to be applied to a military leader, consider the
immense significance of horses to the armies of pre-industrial times.
If you are a fan of "Lord of the Rings," think of the Marshals of
Rohan, a kingdom in which the care of horses is paramount.
Google Search Strategy:
Google Web Search: "maréchal OR marechal OR mareschal" "farrier OR blacksmith"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22mar%C3%A9chal+OR+marechal+OR+mareschal%22+%22farrier+OR+blacksmith%22
Thanks for a very interesting question! If anything is unclear, or if
a link does not function, please request clarification; I'll be glad
to offer further assistance before you rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
