Murcott

Recorded as Morcott, Murcott, Murcutt, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is of locational origin either from Morcott in Rutland recorded as Morcote in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, Murcot in Oxfordshire or Murcott in Northamptonshire. The latter was first recorded as Morcotun in the Saxon Codex, dated 1065, and the former as Morkole in the register of Oseney Abbey in 1149. In all cases the meaning is the cottage by the fen. The surname was first recorded in the latter part of the 13th century, making it a very early example, and recordings from this period include Alan de Morkote and Martin de Morkot who in 1275 appear in the Hundred Rolls of landowners for Leicestershire and Norfolk respectively. Later examples taken at random from surviving church registers of the time of King Henry V111th and Queen Elizabeth 1st include that on March 27th 1541 of Joane Murcote, who was christened at Claycoton, Northamptonshire, whilst on November 9th 1584, Margery Murcott was christened at the church of St. Mary Somerset, in the city of London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Morcote. This was dated 1272 in th Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, in the first year of the reign of King Edward 1st known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.