Sexty

This very rare and unusual surname is nethertheless quite well recorded in England from the early 17th century. It is almost certainly locational deriving from either the hamlet of Setchey in Norfolk or possibly Saxby village in Lincolnshire. There is a faint possibility that the very rare surname 'Sextus' recorded in London in 1616 when a Katherine Sextus married Emanuell Chancelour at the church of St Giles Cripplegate on November 17th of that year, could also be a source. However it is equally possible that 'Sextus' itself is a latinised spelling of 'Sexty'. It is more likely that William Saxcey, recorded at the same church of St Giles on September 18th 1581, is a forbearer of the modern spelling of 'Sexty', but this is not proven. Examples of the surname recording include John Sextie who married Ellenor Gwinnet at St Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, London on September 19th 1704, and John Sexty, who married Jane Lence at St Benets Church, Pauls Wharf, London, on April 17th 1720. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Edward Sexti, which was dated June 2nd 1688, who married Grace Cockermouth at Heigham, Norfolk, during the reign of King James 11, known as 'the last catholic monarch', 1685 - 1689. 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.