Mewton

This unusual name, occuring with Mouton, Moton, Mawton etc. in London Church Register has two distinct possible origins. The first being a 17th Century variant of the Olde French 'mouton' meaning a sheep, and originally given as a metonymic occupational name to a shepherd. The name, introduced into England by the Normans is first recorded towards the end of the 12th Century - Stephen Muton (1195, The Cartulary of Oseney Abbey, Oxfordshire). Alternatively, Mewton may be an example of the not uncommon phenomenon of the 'lost' village where the name has gone from the maps, but remains as a surname passed on from former inhabitants of the place. In this case, the name would derive from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name 'Mawa', plus 'tun', a farm or settlement; hence, 'Mawton' or 'Mewton'. On February 25th 1868 Lavinia Mewton and Charles Niven North were married in St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anne Mewton, daughter of John Mewton, which was dated March 18th 1630, christened at St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, during the reign of King Charles I, The Martyr 1625 - 1649. 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.