'Morgan ap Kerrig'

Just my two pence worth but...

Given how Dickens always liked to parody people he knew, and also how he liked to lampoon pretentious people, I always thought Mrs. Woodcourt was somebody he created to 1) mock the Welsh, a pastime even in today's PC's world that is not unknown in Britain, and certainly Dickens would have felt free rein to mock any group he wanted to who were targets in his day.

And 2) Dickens was making fun of Mrs. Woodcourt's scant knowledge of what she was talking about. She clearly was being told this from previous generations and this knowledge perhaps was passed down in an era when few people read or had access to records.

The reason I say this is Morgan is one of the oldest names in Wales (any look at a phone book would show that!). So it IS a revered name. But a very common one.

So she's saying her family was descended from an important Morgan--which is like saying you are descended from a Smith or a Johnson or a Jones in any city.

Further, she's got the whole thing muddled up. Kerrig is a place in Wales (I've seen the signs before). Although I think it's with a C in traditional. And "Ap" means son of or sumsuch.

So essentially she was bragging at the table about being Morgan ap Kerrig. That's like saying..."Morgan, the son of Manchester." Or London. Woohoo.

She was a doofus! I believe Dickens was mocking her pretentions, going on about things she didn't even know the meaning of. She said her son was descended from a town, not a person. Ha!

My take anyway (in the context of it being Dickens.)