Posted by John Wilson Smith on March 14, 1999 at 21:09:13:
How did AR come to choose the surnames for his characters? We know that Walker, for example, was his first wife's maiden name, and also the name of a Lakes boatbuilder. But where did the other names come from? I ask, because with some delight I thought I had found a genuine connection. Dr Dudgeon (an unusual surname) has a son called Tom... and to my surprise I found a Dr T Dudgeon in my local phone book. Did Tom follow in his father's footsteps?...... Was this real?!
Sadly, no. He's Tim, not Tom. But it was a nice moment! Can anyone else (a) enlighten us on sources of surnames, and (b) give any examples of nice near-coincidences?