Patchett

This is an English medieval surname, but of French origins. It derives from the word 'pasches' which the late Professor Reaney describes as being a form of Easter. Introduced by the Normans after the 1066 Invasion the word forms the basis of the surnames Pastor, Patch, Patchin and Patchett, the latter two being diminutive forms of Patch which have developed from 'Patch-kin' and 'Patch little or petit'. The original name as 'Pach' was baptismal and given to a child born at Easter, the feast of the Passover. The calendar of seven hundred years ago was dominated by the main feasts of Christmas, Easter and Michaelmas, and all contributed surnames. In this case we have one of the earliest surnames on record, indeed the diminutive quickly followed the original surname, when Seman Pach was recorded in the pipe rolls of the county of Sussex in 1177. Other early recordings include William Patchet in Berkshire in 1195 and Richard Pascet at St Bartholomews Hospital, London, in 1198. John Pachun was recorded in Oxford in 1279 and Robert Pachyns in Sussex in 1296. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gerard Pachet which was dated 1183, in the pipe rolls of Berkshire, during the reign of King Henry II, known as 'The church builder', 1154 - 1189 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.