Chittleburgh

This is a name which appears to be almost exclusively recorded in London, but which certainly has it's origins elsewhere. The name derives from the elements "Citel" meaning "a valley" and "burgh" - a fortress or a Roman encampment. Although we have not been able to positively identify a "lost" medieval or pre-medieval place called "Citel-burg", but Chittle in Dorset and Chittlehampton in Devonshire have almost exactly the same origins, although as shown below the earliest (and only) recording is from Kent! Other recordings include - Elizabeth Chittleburrough who married Tom Perkins at St. James Church, Duke Street, London, on November 21st 1697, and Edward Chittleburgh, a witness at St. Pancras Old Church, on April 24th 1796, the occasion of his daughter, Sussana's christening. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Angel Chittleborow, which was dated April 22nd 1683, married at New Romney Church, Kent, during the reign of King Charles 11, "The Very Merry Monarch", 1660 - 1685. 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.