Tither

None of the much publicised dictionaries of Surnames offer this name at all. This is surprising as it clearly has the same origins as Titherington, a village and surname from the Cheshire region, and formerly part of the parish of Prestbury, but now "lost". This is not uncommon an estimated seven thousand such hamlets having disappeared since the Middle Ages. The make up of the original spelling of "Tyderinton" suggests the name is tribal, the village being the place (tun) of the tribe (ing) called Tyd. In Olde English pre 7th century a "tid" referred to a small hill, and whilst it may seem odd that a person or tribe could be called "small hill" in effect they took as their name the description of the local habitat. So it maybe that the modern "Tither's" originally lived in "Titherington", or it maybe that the name was simply one given as a baptismal form which later became a surname. Early recordings of the name include Roger Tyther, a christening witness at the church of St. Andrews, Undershaft, London on May 12th 1577, and James Tither christened at St. Peters, Liverpool on April 2nd 1721. Whilst William Tither married Isabella Kerr at Manchester Cathedral on September 13th, 1875. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jordan de Tyderington. which was dated 1292, in the "East Cheshire Will Registers", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 -1307. 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.