Truelock

This very unusual surname, recorded in the spellings of Truelock, Trulock, Trulocke, and Truluck is of Middle English origins. We believe that is is a transposed form of the medieval surname Truelove, originally spelt Truluff or Treluff. If we are correct then it was a nickname for a faithful lover or sweetheart. The derivation being from the words 'treowe' and 'lufu', true love. It was also used to describe one 'betrothed' or bound by law, from the Scandinavian 'troe iof', or the Norse 'at trulofa', to pledge ones faith. Hence the meaning of the paradoxical line in the old song 'so my true love was false to me'. We are unable to establish any medieval recordings as Trueluck, Truelock, or similar, nor in fact does the name "translate" logically. It is however, well recorded from the begining of the 17th century. This was at a time when the English language was changing to its "modern" form. Spelling was at best erratic, and local dialects very thick. Many surnames changed dramatically in spelling at this time, and we think that this is one of them. Early examples of the recordings taken from authentic church registers include, Tom Truelocke, at St Giles Cripplegate, On February 13th 1608, Thomas Gregory Trulock, christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on October 7th 1613, and Philip Truluck, who married Elizabeth Leonard, at St Giles Cripplegate, London, on November 24th 1722. The first recorded spelling of the family name may be that of Roger Trewelove, which was dated 1275, in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire, during the reign of King Edward I. He was known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307.