Talk:Walter Ralegh

Ralegh or Raleigh? Surely the latter is more common!

All my life I've seen "Raleigh". And have never seen "Ralegh". Isn't there a city in North Carolina, famous for its tobacco, named Raleigh? If it's *really* Ralegh, then surely there should be an alternate spelling listed in the lede, as well as an explanation, as per Pancho Gonzales, where there are various spellings and a discussion for his name. Hayford Peirce (talk) 03:35, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I footnoted the facts from the lead, and I see the "definition" mentions the variation. My impression is the same as yours: in ordinary usage, he's pretty well always called Raleigh. Whether that's true of scholarly publications, Martin might have a better idea. Peter Jackson (talk)

It is pretty well accepted that his name was normally spelled Ralegh. This is the spelling in the ODNB, as well as other historians, including Rowse who was as much popular as academic. Wikipedia gives an example of his signature, which is indisputably Ralegh, but the introduction doesn't even mention that there are alternative spellings. I think I've put in enough redirects, but I'll check. I am grateful for amendments but will amend the "modern usage" bit. --Martin Wyatt (talk) 19:06, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Thanks. I have the Oxford English Dictionary in its "Compact" edition, the one with the magnifying glass, but I don't know if they list people as well as words. I'll take a look. Hayford Peirce (talk) 19:21, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Nope, nothing in the OED -- I take it that the ODNB is Oxford Dictionary of National Biography....Hayford Peirce (talk) 20:02, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

That is correct. The Oxford University Press also produces online "American National Biography" in which Thomas Harriot gets an article but not Ralegh. Harriot turns out to be even more of a polymath than Ralegh, and if I knew something about the history of mathematics or of astronomy, or of Carolina, I might attempt an article on him. As it is, I would not dare. --Martin Wyatt (talk) 20:13, 19 January 2018 (UTC)