Murgatroyd

This is an Old English and specifically Yorkshire surname which appears to derive from a now "lost" medieval hamlet. The name means "Margarets Farm", "Royd" being a farm or clearing and is believed to be from the Halifax - Calder valley area. The name is well recorded from the 14th Century but almost always in Yorkshire which probably accounts for the relative stability of the spelling. The surname development has included Bryan Murgetroyde, recorded at Rothwell, near Leeds in 1647, whilst in 1726, Benjamin Murgytroyd was baptised at St. Dionis Backchurch, London. The name is also found in America, four Murgatroyds being recorded in New York in 1880. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Mergretroyde which was dated 1379, The Yorkshire County Poll Tax Rolls. during the reign of King Richard II, Richard of Bordeaux, 1378 - 1400. 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.