“Conference, like the Conservative Friends of Poland, might reasonably commend that it has of late been much exposed to authors, but not without good reason. With Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in full swing, and the recent publishing of the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report in August 2011, it is no surprise that more than a whisper can be heard on both subjects.
(Original family name: Potocki-Fox)
When looking back to our beginnings, and even beyond to our country origins, it is notable that the Normans introduced the use of surnames in the British Isles. Usually the surnames were local, describing the place where the person lived or was born, patronymic (“son of”), a profession name or trade, or a nickname. In contrast, a coat of arms may have been used by several family names in Poland boring the name of the original blood-line; origins vary and are complex. When Poles began to emigrate, difficult pronunciation and misspelling caused surnames to be changed as I found out to my surprise when delving into the family history records.
From the origins of the Anglo Polish Conservative Society to the forming of the Conservative Friends of Poland, our evolution is clear for all to see; whether it is influenced by forms of address, family names, a formal language, or the people themselves.
As my fourth visit to Conference came to a close, I thought about how far we had come and at this point, look to our team with gratitude for their efforts in shaping our organisation over the last few years. The end of this week marks not only a tipping point, but also a turning point in British Polish relations."
Thank you to all those of you who have truly supported our initiatives to date.
Yours sincerely,
Teresa Potocka (Original family name: Potocki-Fox)
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