Truin

Cornish placenames are a fruitful source of late medieval English surnames, and Trewen or Truin is a good example. The name comprises the elements "Tre" meaning a hamlet or settlement, plus "Gwynn", fair haired or fair skinned; hence "the home(s) of the fair ones", probably a reference to people of "Viking" origins who would have stood out amongst the darker-skinned Celts. Locational names were usually, in early records, the prerogative of the Lord of the Manor; later however, as former inhabitants moved to other areas, they took or were given the identity of their birthplace. The further they moved, the greater the variant spelling form. In this case, the name recordings include; John Truing who married Eleanor Higginbottom, at the Mercers Hall Chapel, London, on September 1st 1707, and Thomas Truin, a witness at St. Andrew's Church, Holborn, on September 12th 1830. The Coat of Arms is silver, a chevron between three rooted trees, all gold, the "trees" representing a play on the name. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rychard Truon, which was dated April 1st 1599, christened at St. Gluvias', Cornwall, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.