Blair Collection > Surnames & place-names of the Isle of Man

96 Ulanx Surnames.
population is called either Qualtrough or Wat-
TERSON, and in the parish of Malew one-fourth.
MacQualtrough [1429], Qualtrough [1430], Mac-
Walter, MacWhaltragh, Water [151 i], McQual-
through [1521], Oualtragh [1654], Oualteragh
[1698].
Rushen, Arbory, Malew (vc) elsewhere (u).
Watterson, or Waterson, a corruption of Walter-
son,* is a translation of MacWalter. It seems
probable that the English-speaking Mac Walters
would adopt this name, whilst the Celtic would
consent to have their name contracted into Qual-
trough. We find Water as a corruption of
Walter in England. Thus in the Churchwardens
books at Ludlow we have ' The account of
Wattare Taylor and Wyllyam Partynge, beynge
churchwardens, in the xxxii yere of the rayne of
Kyng Henry the eighth A.D. 1541.^-f" This is also
shown in the account of Suffolk's death in Shake-
speare's Henry VI., where the murderer says :
' My name is Walter Whitmore.
How now ! Why start'st thou ? What doth death affright !
Suffolk — Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death.
A cunning man did calculate my birth,
And told me that by Water I should die.'
Some think that Watterson is a translation of
Mac-yn-ushtey, ' Water-son,' but this is very doubt-
ful. The only entry in the Registers of such a
name is at Malew in 1669, when it states distinctly
that ' William Macynustey ' was 'an Irishman, 'J
* It should, however, be stated that Walterson is not found in
the Manx Registers before 1547, and that it only occurs once.
t Bardsley Surnames, p. 215.
t Manx Note Book, No. 8, p. 186.