Huddlestone

Recorded in the spellings of Huddleston and Huddlestone, this is an English locational surname of pre-medieval origins. It is claimed to originate from Huddleston cum Lumby, a parish near the small town of Sherburn in Elmet, in West Yorkshire. The village name and hence the surname derives from the Olde English pre 7th century personal name 'Hudel' meaning 'Little Huda' or 'the son of Huda', plus 'tun', a dwelling or hamlet. It is first recorded in the year 1030 in the Yorkshire Charters, as 'Hudelstun', a rare example of a place name spelling which has barely changed over the ten centuries since. It is also a rare example of one which predates both the Norman Invasion of 1066, and the famous Domesday Book of 1086. The surname is a 'from' name, which is to say that it was probably given to the original nameholders when they moved elsewhere. This is particularly so with this name as the original land owning family appear to have divided, firstly with a branch moving from Yorkshire to Millum Castle, Cumberland, in the12th century, and later in the 15th century, with another branch moving to Upwell Hall, Cambridge. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of John de Hodelston which was dated 1273, in the 'Pipe Rolls' Of Cumberland. This was during the reign of King Edward Ist, known as 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. 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.