Ordidge

This is an interesting name of medieval English origin, which has two possible sources, the first being that it is topographical for someone living in or near a pointed ridge. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century 'oed', meaning a point, with the Old English 'hyrig', the Old Norse 'hryggr', for a ridge. The second possibility is that it is a locational surname from a so called 'lost' village, of which it is estimated there are between seven and ten thousand missing from British maps. This phenomena was a result of enforced land clearance in the 12th Century and 13th Century to make way for sheep pastures. Ordidge is found mainly in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and to a lesser extent in the surrounding counties, thus it is thought that the place was once situated in this part of England. One James Ordidge was christened on 31st March 1746 at St. Michael's Tattenhill, Staffordshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jacobi Oredidge (witness), which was dated August 16th 1663, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, during the reign of King Charles II, 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.