Longworthy

Recorded as Langworth, Longworth, Langworthy and Longworthy, this is an English surname. It is a locational and according to the famous etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley writing in 1880, originates deriving from any or all of the places called Longworth in Berkshire, Herefordshire, and Lancashire. These are recorded as Langworth in 1291 and as Langeworthe in 1310 respectively, and both share the same meaning. The derivation is from the pre 7th century word "lang, meaning long, and "worth", a settlement, or literally the long village. Worth or worthy, the latter being folk etymology, was often used to describe a subsidiary settlement dependent on a main village. The place in Herefordshire was originally named in 1242 as Langeford, which is a surname in its own right, and changed changed to Longworth some time during the 14th Century. Early examples of the surname recording include John Longworth of Northamtonshire in the Register of students of University of Oxford for the year 1621, and Anthony Langworthy who married Mary King at St James church, Dukes Place, Westminster, on November 5th 1690. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ingram Lonworthe. This was dated 1468, in the parish records of Longworth, Lancashire, during the reign of King Edward V1, known as "The Self Proclaimed King", 1461 - 1483. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.