Dredge

This unusual and interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, the surname may be a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of confectionery, deriving from the Middle English "drag(i)e", sweetmeat, sugar-coated spice (from the Old French "dragie, dragee", ultimately from the Greek "tragemata", spices, condiments). Job descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual ccupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. In some instances the surname may also be a nickname from a term of endearment, as in the modern idiom "sweet" might be used. The creation of surnames from nicknames was a common practice in the Middle-Ages, and many modern-day surnames derive from medieval nicknames referring to personal characteristics. The surname is first recorded in the early half of the 14th Century (see below), and can also be found as Drage. On March 7th 1618, William, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Dredge, was christened at St. Andrew's, Holborn, London, and Thomas Dredge married Ann Rogers on May 26th 1641 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a gold shield, on a red pale, between two blue eagles displayed, three silver fleur-de-lis, the Crest being a demi eagle displayed per pale gold and red, the dexter wing charged with a red fleur-de-lis and the sinister with a gold one. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Dragge, which was dated 1328, in the "Exchequer Lay Subsidy Records", 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.