I have been working on this idea since [name]October[/name], when I went on a class field trip to [name]Salem[/name], MA and had a lesson on the [name]Salem[/name] Witch Trials.
The idea is set in [name]Salem[/name], during the year 1693, right after the witch trials end in 1692. The protagonist is a twenty-year-old woman, the young wife of a minister, who is morally struggling with the aftermath of the witch trials, especially since she was friends with one of the victims and her husband appears to show no remorse for his role in the trials. The protagonist hits another snag when a European scholar comes to [name]Salem[/name] and flirts with her. She finds out he is a witch.
Since I started working on it, I have been calling her [name]Elizabeth[/name] Ravencroft. I love the last name Ravencroft, but the problem is, [name]Elizabeth[/name] was far too common back then (one or two of the girls who started it all was named [name]Elizabeth[/name] and some of the victims were also named [name]Elizabeth[/name]). I feel like she does not stand out as much as I would like her to, considering she is such a liberal-minded thinker, especially for that time period.
I discovered the name [name]Patience[/name] in a history textbook and I love it. Although, I don’t know how good [name]Patience[/name] Ravencroft sounds. And I have other ideas, too.
To give you an idea: the character is twenty years old, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. She likes to wear the colors red, green, and blue, but the conservative views of the time prevent her from doing so. She likes to read and write, and she is not afraid to challenge her husband, whom she openly disagrees with. She is intelligent as well as caring and her neighbors, for the most part, love her.
During the [name]Salem[/name] Witch Trials people were very religious, weren’t they? I’m pretty certain that they were, so a virtue name like [name]Patience[/name] would be right up their ally. [name]Patience[/name] Raventcroft is nice. Have you thought of any other virtues names, like [name]Verity[/name], [name]Clemency[/name], [name]Temperance[/name], [name]Hope[/name], [name]Faith[/name], [name]Chasity[/name], ect? I really like the idea of [name]Clemency[/name] Ravencroft if you’re doubting [name]Patience[/name].
[name]Hope[/name] that helps!
I looked around for some information on Puritan naming conventions during that time period. I mostly found lists that people had compiled of some of the more outlandish virtue names (Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith, If-[name]Christ[/name]-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned, etc), but I did find this:
“But onomastic eccentricities of that sort were rare in [name]New[/name] [name]England[/name]. A remarkably small number of biblical names accounted for a very large proportion of choices. In the Massachusetts [name]Bay[/name] Colony as a whole during the seventeenth century, more than 50 percent of all girls were named [name]Mary[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Sarah[/name]. These biblical namesakes were carefully selected for the moral qualities which they personified. [name]Mary[/name], the mother of [name]Jesus[/name], appeared to the Puritans as humble, devoted, thoughtful, sensitive and serious. [name]Elizabeth[/name] was the faithful wife of Zecharias and mother of [name]John[/name] the Baptist. [name]Sarah[/name] was the wife of [name]Abraham[/name], mother of [name]Isaac[/name] and “mother of nations.” Also very popular was [name]Rebecca[/name], wife of [name]Isaac[/name] and mother of two nations. who appears in the Bible with a pitcher perched upon her shoulder. The few female prophets - [name]Anne[/name], [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Deborah[/name] and [name]Huldah[/name] - were often honored in [name]New[/name] [name]England[/name]. So was [name]Abigail[/name], who bravely defended her husband against a monarch’s wrath, and [name]Rachel[/name] who stood up for her husband even against her own father. Many a daughter of [name]New[/name] [name]England[/name] was named for [name]Ruth[/name], industrious and obedient, who gleaned the field and beat out her gleanings and lay down her head at the foot of her husband [name]Boaz[/name]. Most feminine namesakes were firmly anchored in a domestic role. At the same time they were also notable for intellect, courage, integrity and strength of character. The feminist movement has trained us to think disjunctively of these qualities; but in early [name]New[/name] [name]England[/name] they were one.”
I like [name]Patience[/name] a lot. I think it fits if you’re looking for a name that would stand out but wouldn’t seem anachronistic.
If you’re looking for others suggestions - maybe [name]Mercy[/name], Piety, [name]Truth[/name], [name]Prudence[/name], [name]Priscilla[/name], or [name]Phoebe[/name]? I like the idea of a virtue name, or something Biblical but very obscure.
I think virtue or lesser-used Biblical would be a good idea. From what I know of naming conventions of that time, which isn’t a great deal if I’m honest, those were the sort of names that tended to get used. I definitely wouldn’t go over-the-top Puritan though.
I agree - a virtue name would make sense for a character named by a Puritan family. I like [name]Patience[/name], and [name]Elizabeth[/name], but because Ravencroft is such a strong last name, I think something simpler like [name]Chastity[/name], [name]Mercy[/name], [name]Abigail[/name], [name]Felicity[/name], or [name]Hannah[/name] might work. To put a different spin on it, because she is an outspoken character you might look for something a bit unique but still Biblical, e.g. [name]Martha[/name], [name]Miriam[/name], [name]Lydia[/name] (the one I think suits her best), or [name]Rebecca[/name].