Gamlen

This is an ancient (pre 7th Century) descriptive nickname first recorded as a personal name in the 1086 (Domesday Book) and in the modern spellings translating as "son of Gamel" (Gamel-Kin). "Gamall" was a Norse-Viking term which meant "the old one" a term of endearment similar to the modern "Old man" and found in the name development as Odo filius Gamelin (1086, Somerset), Gamelyn de Cottyngwich (1347, Cambridge), Thomas Gamelyn (1379, The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls) and Margaret Gamblin (1625, Canterbury), whilst Samuel Gambling was buried at St. Dionis Backchurch, London in 1737. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of James Gamelin. which was dated 1262, The County Pipe Rolls of Essex. during the reign of King Henry III, 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.