Rigmand

This interesting name is of English origin and is a rare dialectal variant of the locational name Ridgemont in Bedfordshire, which was first recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1227 as 'Rugemund' and later in the Close Rolls of 1349 as 'Rubeomonte'. The derivation is from the French 'rouge', red and 'mont', hill, possibly introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. During the Middle Ages, when it became customary for people to migrate, generally to seek work elsewhere, they would often adopt their former village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. Among the recordings in Bedfordshire is the christening of one Edward Rigmond, the infant son of Edward Rigmond, on November 12th 1663 at St. Paul's, Bedford. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Rigman, which was dated June 28th 1573, 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.