Collingworth

This name with variant spellings "Collinwood" and "Collingworth" is of English locational origin, probably from a wood called 'Callingwood' in Staffordshire. The Assize Rolls of 1247 record the placename as "Le Chaleng" and later in 1280 it is recorded as "Calyngewode". The first element is from the Old Norse French "calenge" meaning "challenge" or "dispute", hence, "the wood of disputed ownership". Collingwood has a similar meaning to that of Threapwood in Cheshire, which comes from the Middle English "threpan", "dispute", hence, "wood of disputed ownership". One John atte Calengewode appears in the Derbyshire Charters (1349). On December 8th 1594, Barbara Collingwood was christened in St. Thomas the Apostle, London. Cuthbert Collingwood, first Baron Collingwood (1750-1810) served with Nelson in 1778 and did good service at Cape St. Vincent in 1797. He became Vice Admiral in 1799 and took command on Nelson's death at Trafalgar. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard de Calangwode (witness), which was dated 1323, in the "Assize Rolls for Staffordshire", during the reign of King Edward 111, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. 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.