Titford

Recorded as Tatfeld, Tatford, Tatfield, Tetford, Titford, and others, this is an English surname. It originates from Tetford in Lincolnshire or Thetford in Norfolk, or possibly in some case, from a now "lost" medieval site. There are some five thousand examples of surnames deriving from such lost villages or hamlets in England alone, so this is always a possibility. However in this case we do believe that the T(h)etfords are the source. In both cases the origins are Olde English and translate as the same which is "The top ford" or possibly "best ford", the Norfolk example being recorded in the 870 a.d. Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, although both appear in the 1086 Domesday Book, as "Tedforde". As regards the surname it appears in Norfolk as Tatfeld and Titfeld, and in London the spelling is firstly Tatefold, but subsequently the popular spelling is Titford, with only rare examples of Tatford. However in Hampshire from the mid 18th century, Tatford is the usual form. Examples of these recordings include Claudius Tatefold who was christened at Wandsworth, London on March 29th 1699, whilst on June 17th 1722 Margaret Tatford married Joseph Worley at the famous church of St Dunstans in the East, Stepney. An early example of the family name is shown to be that of John Titfeld,. This is dated October 22nd 1568, when he married Susan Colefox at Trunch in Norfolk, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess" 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.