Pimley

This interesting name with variant spelling Pimbley is probably of English locational origin from one of the estimated seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets that have now disappeared from maps in Britain. The prime cause of these "disappearances" was the enforced "clearing" and dispersal of the former inhabitants to make way for sheep pastures at the height of the wool trade in the 14th century, Natural causes such as the Black Death of 1348, also contributed to the lost village phenomenon. The original placename believed to have been in lancashire was composed of the elements "Pim" from the medieval female personal name "Pymme", "Pimme", Vernacular short forms of "Euphemia", a Greek name composed of the elements "eu" -well and "phenai", to speak, and the second element "eu" -well and "phenai", to speak, and the second element "-ley", from "leah", an Old English word for "wood or clearing in a wood". The christening of Lawrence, son of John Pimley occured at St. Peter's Botton, Lancashire on December 11th 1620, while William Primley married Elizabeth North at Holy Trinity, Goodgate in York in 1737. Edward Pimley was christened at Putney, London on July 19th 1782. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Pimley, which was dated February 20th 1584, christening witness at Farnworth near Prescott in Lancashire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.