Larcinese, Larcinesi
Larcenese, Arcinese, Arcinesi
Brief Origins of the Name
The origins of the Larcinese name dates back at least to 15th century Abruzzo, Italy in the then prosperous town Gessopalena. Our role in the developments of this town has still to be determined, but from the earliest documents found, we had a presence that included multiple homes, land and orchards in areas surrounding Gessopalena. Areas such as Colle Ianni, Colle Della Vigna, La Scrima, Brecciola, Fonte Rossa, La Valle, Contrada dell Annunziata, Contrada della Pietra Andrea, Nisci, Crete Rossa, Valle Hemanca, Vicenna, Contrada della Penna, Isoline and Le Macchie. In a Last Will and Testament of Bernardino de Larcenese, he leaves possessions to his son, Baldassare and Blasius de Larcenese in the lands mentioned above. Most of which the Larcinese families still own today.
Although I am concluding many theories on the origins of our name it is narrowed into 4 general categories which may be proven (provided documents exist in Napoli or other state archives) or remain just as they are- theories:
The most practical and obvious of the theories is that the l’Arcenese (original spelling de Larcenese and de Arcenese as provided by the 1580-1592 Notario Records of Claudio Paglione 1580, page 21, (Lanciano archivio) was an individual hailing from the north of Italy in the Lombardia region, Bergamo, Provincial town of Arcene. People from this town are called today, l’Arcenese (pl) l’Arcenesi. In the Paglione records there is evidence of other surnames as di Lombardia. In addition, an area in Gessopalena exists called Fonte Bergamo (today Fonte Berga) which takes the name of the Lombardia town. Archi, a town near to Gessopalena has a surname recorded in the 1561 notario records, di Bergamo. There is no doubt of the presence of this Lombardia region in the Sangro Valle. As the name bears an ’ese” ending it indicates that we were named after a region. The fact that Bernadino de Larcenese has two grown married sons in Gessopalena can lead to the conclusion that our surname was provided well before 1565, and with this believed the first Larcenese in Gessopalena would have been a soldier given the vast land and the multiple homes for his service. Whatever his first name was, the would have referred to him as 'Name' de l’Arcenese. More records need to be examined from the 15th century and further inquiries of northern archives of soldiers of Sforza, Caldora and Colleoni and the northern army in Abruzzo.
A great demonstration of this theory can be found in a document titled: Nome Preclari O Quasi (PDF) page 95-98 (contributing references by Luca Pacioli, Elementi di Euclide, Venezia, 1509)- In his article about Alessio Agliardi d’Arcene it states that in 1461 Alessio Agliardi comes to be called Alessio l’Arcenese. While his descendants diverted back to the name Agliardi and there is no blood connection between the Abruzzi Larcenese and this person, it does demonstrate the transition of a surname pre- dating any written history of our Larcinese family. This is the most practical origins of Larcinese to date.
The second theory while seems to be the easiest, may be more difficult to derive a surname. The name Arcinni as mentioned in the will and testament has been records in several documents in various ways: in the 1580 Claudio Paglione book, page 21– Colle dell Arcinni. . In the 1598 Paglione records (page 9) it is referred to as Arciani. In the Nicola Cavaliere book, BENEDITTINI, CELESTINI, CAPPUCCINI IN TERRA GYPSI (GESSO PALENA), 2002 his inclusion of the Ludovico Zannoti’s Regesti Celestini (page 209) includes “Pro Monasterio Gypsi” (gesso) with an entry from the year 1577 and the contrada delli Arcioni, and on page 184 another entry archivia Coelestrnorum, contrada della Arcione. As this is a region of Gessopalena, it is thought by some of the Gessani elders that l’Arcenese is derived from the name of this region: that we were simply from Arcinni and therefore...the Arcionese or Arcinese. While this theory has to remain valid, the transition of the name in its modern spelling would be acceptable, but as the original spelling of the name is Arcenese it remains a secondary theory. In addition, the will and testament from 1580 only shows our family owning a vine in this Arcinni (unless earlier documents may be found to demonstrate a larger presence) while our homes we lived in during this early name formation was in Contrada dell ‘Annunziata and Contrada della Vigna with plots of land in Fonte Rossa, Crete Rossa, Valle Hemanca, Sologna, Contrada della Pietra and Le Macchie. Currently the vast amount of this ancient land still owned by the Larcinese family is found in areas Contrada Vicenne and Valle Arcione.
Please contact Matthew de Larcinese at Gessopalena@comcast.net for more information
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Larcinese, Larcinesi, Larcenese, Arcinese and Arcinesi