Allworthy

This interesting and unusual name is of English locational origin and is either a dialectal variant of a place in Somerset called Elworthy, or from a lost village, originally in the south west of England called Al(l)worthy. The Somerset place was initially recorded as Elwithe in the Domesday Book of 1086 and as Elleworthe in "The Red Book of the Exchequer", (1166), and was so called from the old English personal name Elli, plus "worth(e)", a homestead or enclosure; hence, "Elli's homestead". The second element i.e. "worthy" is especially widespread in the South-West, for example, Woolfardisworthy, (Devonshire), and Rangeworthy, (Gloucestershire). Stanly Alworthy married a Mary King in Plymouth, Devonshire, on December 16th 1699, and on February 2nd 1719 Elizabeth Allworthy was christened in Newland, Gloucestershire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Clement Alworthier, (witness at a christening), which was dated October 21st 1575, Stoke in Teignhead, Devonshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "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.