Weavers

This interesting surname is a patronymic form of Weaver (indicated by the suffix "-s", a shortened form of son of), which has two possible derivations. Firstly, it may be an occupational name for a weaver, from an agent derivative of the Olde English pre 7th Century "wefan", Middle English "weven", to weave. Secondly, however, it may also be of locational or topographical origin, from a place on the river Weaver in Cheshire, now called Weaver Hall, or residence by the river, recorded simply as "Weuere" in the 13th and 14th Centuries. The river name comes from the Olde English "wefere", winding stream. During the Middle Ages, when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification. Early examples of the surname include John le Weuere and William Weuere, who both appear in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex (1296). In London, Katherine Wevers married Lewys Williamson on July 7th 1550, at St. Mary Magdalene, and James, son of Thomas and Mary Weavers, was christened on November 27th 1725, at St. Giles' Cripplegate. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family depicts a barry of four, black and silver, on a canton of the last a gold garb. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon de Wevere, which was dated 1259, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.