Lamport

This interesting surname is of English locational origin from a number of places called "Lamport", found in Berkshire, Northamptonshire, and Sussex, itself coming from the Old English "lang-port", meaning long town or long market-place ("ing" in "lang" was assimilated to "m", hence "Lamport"). There is also a place called "Old Langport" in Kent, and a "Langport" in Somerset. Lamport in Berkshire was recorded "Lanport" in the Domesday Book, 1086, while the places in Northamptonshire and Sussex were recorded "Langeport" in the Domesday Book, and "Langport" in the place-names of Sussex, (1107), respectively. "Lang port" was recorded at Pagham in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles (680). William Lawnporthe married Ann Kyrbe at Tonbridge Kent on September 25th 1558, while Francis Lampert married Ann Burgis at Seven Oaks, Kent on June 22nd 1563. At St. Michaels church, Aldershot, Hampshire William Lamport married Harriet Brownjohn on December 23rd 1865, while Thomas, son of William and Ann Lamport was christened here also on December 5th 1852. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard de Lamport, which was dated 1273, in the hundred Rolls of Wiltshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "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.