'Twas Ever Thus: A meaning beyond etymology

Anyone who read the Name of the Week post on Venetia may remember mention of actress Venetia Stephenson, a celebrity baby of her day, daughter of actress Anna Lee, whose birth in 1838 was widely publicised. 

Her full name was Joanna Venetia Invicta, and here, in an interview with The Daily Mirror, father Robert Stevenson explains the name choice — particularly her unusual third name — and it's really rather heartwarming. 

 

THEY SAY SHE WAS NAMED     AFTER A STEAM ROLLER .    Joanna Venetia Invicta, that's the name of the ten-month-old daughter of film star Anna Lee and her producer husband, Robert Stevenson.    "Joanna is my wife's name," Mr. Stevenson told the "Daily Mirror." "And Venetia is a family name. We always intended to give the baby those names if it were a girl.    "Invicta―well, that's different. My wife was born in Kent, and we wanted something to suggest the Kent countryside. Invicta is the motto on the Kent coat-of-arms.     "Our friends always joke about Invicta and ask if the baby was named after the steam-rollers — because they all carry that name on front.    "Of course, Invicta has another meaning— unbeatable. We had that in mind, too," he added proudly.     She's an unbeatable baby, too, don't you think?                                                       The Daily Mirror                                                       11 January 1939

.