Scrivens

This unusual and interesting name is medieval English but of French origins. Probably introduced into England after the Norman Invasion of 1066, it was occupational name for a scribe, one responsible for the copying of books and manuscripts. The derivation of the name is from the Olde French word 'escrivein', itself from the Latin 'scribere', meaning to write. In the modern idiom the surname spellings include Scriven, Scrivens, Scrivener, Scrivenor, Scriver, Scrivinor and Scrivner. Early examples of the surname recording taken from surviving church registers include the marriage between John Scrivener and Jone Fallis on the 12th of November 1570, at the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, in the city of London, whilst Fredrick Henry Ambrose Scrivener (1813 - 1891) followed a distinguished career as a religious divine. He obtained his degree at the university of St. Andrews, Scotland in 1872, and assisted in the revision of the New Testament (1870 - 1882). He later published scholarly works relating to the text of the New Testament. The original and ancient coat of arms associated with the surname dates from the time of Henry 111rd (1216-1272). The blazon is a red field charged with a chevron between two leopards faces in chief, and a bugle in base, all silver. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon Scrivine. This was dated 1218, in the early charters of St. Paul's cathedral, in the city of London, during the reign of King Henry 111rd of England, 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.