Dwelley

This is one of the most interesting surnames in English History. It dates back to the mid 13th Century and refers to the beginning of the period of enlightenment, both in regard to the church and state. Dwelly was a nickname given to the "original protesters", deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century "dweollic" meaning heretical, and there is no doubt regarded highly by the original name holders. The peasant revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler of Kent, were probably known as Dwelly's. Dwelly Farm in Lingfield, Surrey may have been one of the original meeting places. Richard Dwelie, is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire (1275), Robert Dwole, is noted in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset (1327), and Richard Le Dwele, appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Surrey (1332). In the modern idiom the surname may be found as Dwelly or Dwelley. On June 16th 1591, Jana Dwelley married Thomas Croxson, at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London, and Elizabeth, daughter of George Dwelly, was christened on July 6th 1605, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Dweyle, which was dated 1255, in the "Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.