Idale

Recorded as Eddol, Eddolls, Eydel, and Idale, this is a surname of several potential origins and nationalities. In our opinion it is probably medieval English, and locational. If so it is probably from the village of Edale, in Derbyshire. This village first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as Aidele, and later in 1362 as Edale, means the land ('eg') in the valley (dael). This may refer to an actual island as Edale is also the name of the river that flows through the dale. This village, it has been claimed, was also the original source of one of the great plagues which swept through England in the 16th century. Locational surname are usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes to live somwhere else. In so doing they took or where given as their surname, the name of their former home. Spelling being at best indifferent and local dialects very thick soon lead to the development of 'sounds like' spellings. A second possibility is theAnglo-Saxon pre 7th century word 'itel' meaning pure. This was used as an early baptismal name of endearment. Examples of recordings include Ralf Edolf appears in the Hundred Rolls for Berkshire in 1273, Simon Edols in the Subsidy Tax rolls for Sussex in 1327, whilst John Eydale appears in the register of St James Clerkenwell in the city of London in 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.