Aldhous

This interesting and long-established surname has two distinct sources, one of early medieval English origin, and one of Scottish origin. The English form of the name derives from the Middle English female personal name "Aldus", itself a pet form of any of the numerous Olde English pre 7th Century male and female given names with a first element "(e)ald", old, for example, "Ealdgyth" (Old-battle), and "Ealdgifu" (Old-gift). One Radulfus filius (son of) Aldus was noted in the 1168 Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, and a Peter Aldous appears in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk. The surname Aldous is widespread in East Anglia; one family can trace their ancestry to a certain William Aldous (died 1528) of Fressingfield, Suffolk. In 1524, one Robert Aldhous was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk. The Scottish form of the name is locational from Auldhous, a place in Strathclyde (Renfrewshire), so called from the Olde English pre 7th Century "eald", old, with "hus", house. In 1265, Roger, son of Reginald de Aldhous, resigned all claim to the lands of Aldhous, Renfrewshire, held by himself and his father, and in 1284, his son, John de Aldhus reaffirmed this renunciation in a court of the justiciar of Lothian. The surname now has many variant spellings, ranging from Aldis(s), Aldhouse and Alduse, to Audiss, Audus and Oldis. A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a silver shield, with a red chevron between three red birds rising, on a black chief three silver mullets, the Crest being a red bird rising. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Peter Aldus, which was dated 1230, in the "Pipe Rolls of Norfolk", 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.