Maidlow

We have to confess that this surname has proved extremely difficult to research with accuracy as to its origins. The implication is that it is locational, Olde English pre 10th century, and derives from a place which translates as 'The maidens hill'. Indeed there are many such places which commence with the 'Maid(en)' prefix including Maidstone, Maidwell and Maidenhead, the translation being the same, although the precise meaning may be quite different. Thios is fine, except that no such place as 'Maidlow', the suffix being a reduced form of the Olde English 'Hlow' meaning hill, exists or has ever been known to exist. This in itself is not so unusual, at least five thousand 'lost' villages are known to have existed, and to have given birth to existent surnames. In this case the puzzle is that the earliest recording that we have been able to find is 17th century, and then only in the English Home Counties, no trace being found in any other area. We have also looked at the Huguenot registers, but without success, and it is much too late for the Flemish Weavers. We believe that Maidlow is a late variant of Medlow, but Medlow itself is probably only a poor spelling of Maidlow. Examples of the recording include William Earl Maidlow, a witness at the Church of St Mary Le Bone, on November 21st 1756, and Jane Harriet Maidlow, christened at Mansion House Independent Church, Camberwell, on September 15th 1822. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Samuel Medlow, which was dated January 13th 1685, a witness at St Giles Cripplegate, London, during the reign of King Charles 11, known as 'The Merry Monarch', 1660 - 1685. 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.