Friese

After the Romans left Britain in 410 A.D., the first "Invaders" to fill the vacuum were the Jutes (from Jutland) and the Frisians (from Friesland), to be followed by the more famous Angles (from Engalanda) and the Saxons (from Saxonia). This name in its varied spellings relates to the Frisians, although it is probable that the actual surname derives from later 14th Century immigrants, rather than the original 7th Century invaders. The name was used in the middle Ages as a metonymic for a Builder of Dykes and Ditches, a form of Civil engineering also associated with "the Low Countries". The name development and dating includes "Tabitha Freeze (1614), Ursula Frise (1578), Robert Fries (1690), John Friese (1799) etc.. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Lucas Fryese, which was dated December 27th 1576, witness at the Church of St. Nicholas Acons, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.