Audus

This interesting 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 personal names with "(e)ald", old, as its first element, for example, "Ealdgyth" and "Ealdgifu". Radulfus filius (son of) Alduse is noted in the 1168 Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. Peter Aldous is listed in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk. The Scottish form of the surname is locational from Auldhous, in Strathclyde (Renfrewshire). The placename derives from the Olde English "eald" old, with "hus", house, hence "old house". Locational names were originally given to the lord of the manor or as a means of identification to those who left their place of birth to seek work elsewhere. In 1265, Roger, son of Reginald de Aidhous 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 has many variant spellings ranging from Aidis(s), Aldhous and Aldous to Audas, Audus and Oldis. Recordings of the surname from London Church Registers include: Elizabeth, daughter of Frauncis and Margrett Aldhouse, christened on February 13th 1657, at St. Dunstan's, Stepney; and Benjamin Aldhouse, who married Christina Plummer on April 20th 1767, at the same place. A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a silver shield, with a red chevron between three red rising birds, 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.