Dalgliesh

This interesting and unusual name, with the variants Dalglesh, Dalglish, Dagleas, Dagless and Daglish, is of Scots origin and is locational from a place "above the sources of the Tinna Water in the parish of Ehrick, Selkirk". It was first recorded in 1383 in the form Dalglas and derives from the Gaelic "dail", field and "glas", green. Unfortunately it seems that some early individual of the family were connected with disturbances of the peace and got on the wrong side of the law, for example George Dalgleish, confidential sevitor of the Earl of Bothwell, was executed for participation in the murder of Darnley in 1567. However in the other extreme, Simon Dalgles was Canon and Prebend of Askirk in 1448 and offshoots of the family established in Timmygaske, Fife "successfully avoided any distinction". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Symon de Dagles, which was dated 1407, in the "Register of the Great Seal of Scotland", during the reign of King James of Scotland, 1406 - 1437. 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.