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The following is something I put together quite a few years ago on the name Rives. After many discussions with other researchers we are convinced that the Rives came to England from the Languedoc region of France with possible connections to the Cathar families at Montaillou. The notes at the end with the records from Somerset dates 1347 and 1390 show the name going from De Ryves to Ryves within a generation. This is further evidence of the Rives, Ryves of taking their name as a place name. Literally meaning “of the river bank.”
The name Rives
The name Rives is pronounced "Reeves."
Many of the English "Reeves" families derived their name from the Reeve or Shire Reeve (Sheriff). Some have made the assertion that this is the case with the Rives family of Dorset. However, the evidence strongly suggests that the Rives of Dorset were of Norman descent, and the name is of French derivation and most likely from the family's place of origin.
The Rives of Dorset were consistently recorded as Rives, Ryves and sometimes as Reve, Rive or Ryve. From the early records it is evident that the ancient family freely exchange the "y" and "i" in the name Rives or Ryves. That is, they considered the "y" and "i" to be equal. Many times individuals would be recorded as Rives, Ryves and even Reve within the same record. The recordings as Reve lead us to believe that this was the original pronunciation of the name. That Ryves or Rives is of French derivation is susceptible to proof from the pronunciation. The "i" in "Rives" as also the "y" in "Ryves," is pronounced as the French "i," like the English double "e" in "Reeves." The final "s" was originally silent. At some point, the name was Anglicized in part to pronounce the "s" and avoid its loss.
Surnames came to England with the Norman Conquest in 1066. Prior to that, surnames were virtually unheard of. The Norman surnaming convention did not allow a son to use his father's surname during the father's lifetime. The eldest son may succeed to the father's surname, but the younger sons rarely would. This made adoptive surnames necessary. The most common type of surname assumed was that of the person's chief domain or place of origin. I am convinced this is the case with the Rives of Dorset.
A Rivus and Rivis is Latin for a stream, channel, or dyke. The modern day term "rives" (pronounced reve) in French literally means river bank. There are two villages in the south of France that bear the name Rives, one in the department of Lot-et-Garonne and the other in Herault. One of these villages was a chief manufacture of swords used in the crusades, now it is better known for a high grade of paper that also bears the Rives name.
There are many records of families by the name of Rives in France prior to and at the same time of the Rives in Dorset. The following are but a few examples. In the book "Rives & Reaumont - Au Moyen Age" by Philippe Chanaron, a time line (1020 to 1308) is given for a feudalistic house that controlled a region in the south of France. The lords of this region were known as "de Rives" (of Rives). A Rives family was recorded as part of an inquisition held by the Catholic Church, between 1318 and 1325 in the small village of Montaillou, located along the Pyrenees mountains.
The Norman conquest of England also resulted in the replacement of the old Anglo-Saxon or English land-owning class by a French aristocracy. The Domesday Book reveals that by 1086, 95% of the English landowners had been replaced by Norman Lords. William the Conqueror and his successors ensured that all of the nobility in England were of Norman descent. He divided the lands amongst the nobles, and knights that fought at Hastings, and to their kinsmen in France. From 1066 to the English Civil War, no one occupied large amounts of land unless his family could trace their lineage to the Norman Nobility prior to 1066. At the time of his death Robert Rives, the first known of the name in England, was a member of the noble class and peer of King Henry VIII's Court. Robert possessed a coat of arms and held considerable estates in Dorset and Somerset. The French spelling and pronunciation of his name and his standing as a substantial landholder, indicate that Robert Rives, Ryves was of Norman descent.
New Info:
Recently I found the following records of what appears to be two generations of Ryves living in Dunster county Somerset in 1347 and 1390. Note the use of "de Ryves" in the records from 1347 and "Ryves" in the record from 1390:
From: http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/lists/ddlists/ddwo10.txt
TREVELYAN PAPERS DD/WO BOX LIST draft BOX 10 Bundle 1
DD/WO 10/5/6 1) Wm. Sparke, of Dovery, senior. 2) Wm. Fichet of Peynton Feoffment of a tenement in Dunster in Weststret between ten. of Rich. Bokedhole and John Stangele. wit. Wm. de Ryves; Rob. Hamound; Rob. de Ryves; Gilbert le Chuseman; Richard Bokedhole Dunster 14 July 1347 tagged seal - device worn - a squirrel (in C19 wrapper)
10/5/7 1) John Sparke, son and heir of Wm., and Isabella his wife 2) Wm. Fichet of Peynton Quitclaim of rights to the tenement in Westrete (as above). wit. Wm. de Ryves; Rob. Hamound; John Hamound; Rob. de Ryves; Rich. Bokedhole. Dunster 15 Sep. 1347 tagged seal - device worn - a squirrel (in C19 wrapper)
From: http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/lists/ddlists/ddwo1.txt
SOMERSET ARCHIVE AND RECORDS SERVICE SOMERSET RECORD OFFICE Accession No:
Group Code:DD/WO TREVELYAN PAPERS - BOX LIST (draft)
8a 1/97 1) Adam Prous of Dunster 2) Patric Everard, John Benyn and Simon Ralegh Grant of a burgage in Waterstrete, Dunster with house, garden and meadow between tenement of Rob Ryves and burgage of John Osborn, which he had by gift and legacy of Simon Brodewode. wit. John Ryves; John Stowey; John Jeol; Walte Yarte; Rob Dyere 20 July 1390, at Dunster
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