Wicken

This medieval English surname is one of a group which can be locational or job-descriptive, or even both. Recorded as Wicken, Wickens, Wickin, Wickins, Wicking, and others, it has at least two possible origins. It may be be locational from any or all of the three villages called Wicken. These places may describe a dairy farm or one who works at such a place, or, more romantically,as with the village in the ciunty of Kent could describe a pirates lair!. In both cases the origin is pre 7th century, the dairy-farm being originally wicum, whilst Wicken in Kent is from "vicing," this being an anglicization of the Svcandanavian word "viking", and no doubt graphically describing the feelings of the English native population. The famous Domesday Book of 1086 records several personal names including Wikingus of Suffolk and Wichin of Devon, with later recordings including Richard Wyking of Kent in 1456, and Thomas Wekyn of the same county in 1505. Church recordings include: Elizabeth Wickens, who married Simon Wogdon at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, on July 23rd 1629, and John Wicken, who was christened at Manchester Cathedral, Lancashire, on September 15th 1650. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas de la Wikin. This was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls of Norfolk", during the reign of King Edward 1st, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.