Catcherside

This name, with variant spellings Cathesyed, Catcherside, Ketchaside, Kitchaside and Kitchenside etc., appears on record in English Church Registers from the mid 16th Century, and is of locational origin from one of the estimated seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets that have now disappeared from the maps in Britain. The prime cause of these "disappearances" was the enforced "clearing" and dispersal of the former inhabitants to make way for sheep pastures in the 14th Century along with natural causes such as the Black Death of 1348. The original place is believed to have been in Lincolnshire and the component elements are the Old English personal byname Catta, plus "side", a hill slope; hence, "Catta's slope". Amongst the sample recordings in London is the marriage of Alfred Kitchenside and Lizzie George on August 5th 1866 at Old Church, St. Pancras. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alyson Cathesyed, (christening), which was dated April 14th 1565, in St. Peter's, Saltfleetby, Lincolnshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.