Norsworthy

This is a locational name also found as Norsworth, which derives from the Old English 'Nors-Worp', and 'translates' as either the north (facing) valley or possibly the valley of the Norse-men! The original location appears to be one of the seven thousand now 'lost' medieval villages and was believed to have been either in Wiltshire, this being the source of the first recording in Devon, a county full of names with the 'Worthy' suffix. The name recordings include Oliver Norsworthy who married George Fenney at St. James Church, Dukes Place, London on May 24th 1682, whilst oddly the name is not found in the west country until August 20th 1927 when Florence Norsworthy married Alexander Simpson at Bristol Registry Office. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Noswuth, which was dated 1273, The Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire, during the reign of King Edward I, 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. 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.