The famous International Genealogical Index lists this surname as a form of Patrie or Patrice, the French 'Patrick', and this may be so. Apparently recorded in a wide variety of forms including Patry, Petery, Poutry, Puttey and Pottery, anything is possible with surnames, particularly when over the centuries they pass in and out of the city of London! One thing is almost certain, the name when spelt as Pottery has absolutely nothing to do with making pots, although it is possibly locational from Pottery Quay in Plymouth or perhaps even a now 'lost' medieval site, of which the only reminder in the 20th century is the surviving surname. Locational surnames are usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homestead and moved elsewhere. Given that post medieval spelling was at best erratic and dialects very thick, soon lead to the development of 'sounds like' spellings. In this case early examples of the surname recordings taken from surviving registers of the diocese of Greater London include: William Potterie or Pitterie, at the church of St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on May 11th 1617, Charles Pottery, whose son John was christened at the church of St Pauls by Covent Garden, on August 18th 1674, and Gilbert Patrie, whose daughter Sarah was christened at St George's in the East, Stepney, on March 2nd 1791. The Charles Pottery shown above, was recorded at the same church in 1676 as Pautree and in 1677 as Poutrey, so much for spelling!

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