Moreside

This very uncommon surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is either a topographical name from residence by the edge of a marsh, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "mor", moor, waste upland, fen, with "side", side, or a locational name from any of the various places named with the above elements. These places include: Moorside, south west of Shaftesbury in Dorset; the hamlet of Moorside near Bristol in Somerset, and Moorside in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The initial element takes the variant forms "mur, muir, moor, more", and "mere" in different parts of the country, and frequently surnames deriving from the above source, such as Moorside, Moreside and Moresaid, are confused with those deriving from any of the Scottish places named with the Olde English "mor", moor, and "heafod", head; hence, "moor's head". On September 15th 1746, John Moresaid and Elizabeth Pentire were married at St. George's, East Stonehouse, Devonshire, and on November 5th 1749, Betty, daughter of John Moorside, was christened in Flixton, Lancashire. A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a shield divided quarterly with a black bull passant in the first and fourth silver quarters, on a border of the second eight bezants, and in the second and third gold quarters three silver mullets pierced between as many black boars' heads erased on an azure chevron, the Crest being a green demi dragon, holding in the paw a black arrow, point downwards. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Murside, which was dated 1260, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire", during the reign of King 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.