Gorvette

This very unusual name is of Huguenot origin and derives from the French Heraldic names 'Gerver of Gervier'. It is believed that the translation is job descriptive and relates to an olde pre 10th Century French word for a 'keeper of cattle and livestock'. The surname is not recorded in England before the mid 17th Century, later recordings include Elizabeth Jervitt who was christened at St. Dunstans Church, Stepney on August 7th 1698 and John Gorvett. The son of Thomas Gorvett, christened at St. George in the East London on December 10th 1802. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ellen Gervet, which was dated 1666, married John West at St. James Church, Clerkenwell, during the reign of King Charles II, 'The Merry Monarch', 1660 - 1685. 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.