Shewery

This unusual name is well recorded in the London area, which is perhaps not surprising as it is believed to be a locational variant of the county name, Surrey. The Kent-Sussex Middle English dialect circa 1400-1650, often developed transposed forms which were localised "slang". This type of dialect is today recognised in the "Cockney" but earlier, each district had a pronounced dialect of its own. This in time also transferred to the name spelling and in this case there are several variants including Shewery, Shurey and Shury. Recordings include Elizabeth Shewery who married George Noble at St. Benet's, London in 1653, whilst Elizabeth Shurey married Francis Gover at St. Pancras Old Church London on June 16th 1698, in the reign of William of Orange. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Francis Shury, which was dated July 18th 1632, who married Amy West at the church of St. Mary, Somerset, London, during the reign of King Charles l, known as "The Martyr", 1625 - 1649. 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.