Voysey

This unusual and interesting name has its origins in an Anglo-Norman-French word "enveisie", meaning playful, merry and used as a nickname for a bright, cheerful person. The derivation is from the Old French "envoisie", from "envoisier", to sport, enjoy oneself, ultimately from the Latin "invitiare", a derivative of "vitium" pleasure, and indeed in the Domesday Book of 1086 one "Robertus Invesiatus" is recorded showing the Latinized form of the name. There are twenty-nine varied spellings in the modern idiom, ranging from Va(i)sey, Voisey, Facey, Fasey and Voysey to Pheazey. The name development has included Adam le Veyse (1270, Somerset), William Veysy (1357, Cheshire), Robert Feysy (1395, Nottinghamshire) and John Vasey (1456, Suffolk). The marriage of Anthony Facey and Blanch Sampson was recorded at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, on July 22nd 1641.The Coat of Arms most associated with the family and granted in 1620, has the blazon of a gold shield thereon a black cross, in the first quarter a black crescent all within a red border engrailed. The crest being a sea-horse rampant argent maned and armed ore. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Lenveiset, which was dated 1131, in the Records of Rievelleaux Abbey, Yorkshire, during the reign of King Henry 1, known as "The Lion of Justice", 1100 - 1135. 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.