Dowtry

This long-established and interesting surname is of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname is locational from "Hauterive" in Orne, and has the fused preposition "de". The placename derives from the Old French "haute", high (Latin "alta"), and "rive", bank (Latin "ripa"); hence, "high bank". Locational names were originally given as a means of identification to those who left their village or place of origin to settle elsewhere. William de Alta ripa is noted in the 1166 Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, and Nicholas Dautre is listed in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire. In the modern idiom the surname has many variant spellings ranging from Dawtry, Dealtry and Dowtry, to Dawdary, Daudray and Dawdry. On November 2nd 1593, Ann Dawdry married Osborne Betts at Carleton-Rode, Norfolk, and John Dawdry married Elizabeth House at St. Michael at Plea, Norwich, Norfolk, on July 25th 1668. Later the surname was re-introduced by the French Huguenots. During the mid to late 17th Century thousands of French Huguenots fled to England and other countries, to escape religious persecution on the Continent, especially after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis X1V in 1685. The christening of Susanne, daughter of Bastian and Elizabeth Daudray, took place at Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church, London, on November 14th 1703. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Halteripe, which was dated 1155, in the "Documents relating to the Danelaw", Lincolnshire, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.