Jewsbury

This interesting and unusual name, with variant spellings, Duesbury, Jewesbury, Duesberry etc. which may appear French, is in fact of English locational origin from a place called "Dewsbury" in Yorkshire, recorded as "Deusberia", in the Domesday Book of 1086, and "Deubir" in the Feet of Fines of 1202. The placename is composed of the Old English personal name "Dewi" or "David", or even "Deaw", which may derive from the Old English "deaw", dew, fluid, water (maybe a stream-name) and the second element "burgh", the Old English term for "a fortified place or fort". One Willelmus de Deusbiry and Alicia Dewesbiry were mentioned in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire in 1379, as was Robertus de Dewesbiry. The earliest recording of the name in London Church Registers is on August 28th, 1559, when one Isaack Dewsbury was christened at St. Mary Abchurch. The Surrey Church Registers record the christening of Robert Dewberrie on September 16th 1540 at Carshalton; the christening of Thomas, son of William Dewberry also at Carshalton on September 28th 1601; and the christening of Mary, daughter of William and Ruth Dubery at Caterham on May 7th 1768. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas de Dewesberi, which was dated 1204, in the "Pipe Rolls Records of Yorkshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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.