Priddis

This is a rare Anglicized form of the ancient Gaelic (Welsh) "Ap Rhidydd" or "Prydydd". The former translates as the son of ("ap") the Lord ("-udd") of Rhyeyd, which may refer to what is now known as Chirk Castle, Oswestry. The latter, "Prydydd", translates as "the Poet", a wholly appropriate nickname for a Welsh person. In either case the "English" development would seem to be through Predith and Pridith as found in Montgomeryshire, to Predice, Predisse and Priddis, in London. Welsh surnames did not become recognisably hereditary until the 17th or even 18th Centuries, although in this case our earliest recording is Elizabethan (see below). The name recordings (all London) include: Marie Predisse, christened at St. Giles, on November 27th 1575 (the daughter of Nicholas Predice), whilst on March 23rd 1644, William and Thomasine Priddis (believed to be the first recording in the modern spelling) were recorded at St. Dunstan's Church, Stepney. On April 7th 1861, Ann, the daughter of William and Ann Priddis, was christened at St. Andrew's Church, Lambeth, Surrey. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Nicholas Predice, which was dated June 11th 1570, marriage to Alyce Merrell, at St. Giles' Cripplegate, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "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.