Lundy

This long-established surname is of Old Scandinavian origin, and is either a topographical name from residence in or by a grove, deriving from the Old Norse "lundr", grove, or a locational name from any of the various places named with this word, including: Lund, south east of Kirkham in Lancashire; Lund in the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire; Lunt, north of Liverpool in Lancashire; and Lundie, a parish nd village north west of Dundee in Angus. Lundy Island, part of Devonshire, recorded as "Lundey" circa 1145 in the Orkneyinga Saga, is so called from the Old Norse "lundi", puffin, hence, "Puffin Island". Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognizable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages, and locational names were originally given as a means of identification to those who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere. Early examples of the surname include: Geoffrey de Lund (Norfolk, 1200); William de la Londe (Devonshire, 1273); and Gilbert de la Lounde, who in 1297, was murdered in Ireland by the O'Mores. In 1489, one John Lundie was noted in Records of Dunbertane, Scotland, and in 1533, John Boy Lundey, a County Tipperary witness, was recorded in the Ormond Deeds. The name Lundy is now widespread in Ulster, particularly in Counties Cavan, Down and Antrim . Col. Robert Lundy, governor of Londonderry, will always be remembered in connection with the Siege of Derry. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph de la Lunde, which was dated 1183, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.