Widd

This is a dialectually transposed locational name deriving from the Olde English 'widde' and later from the Medieval English 'wythe' meaning a willow tree. The name was originally applied to those dwelling by a willow tree. The double' dd' of the Olde English became 'th' in Medieval English and consequently, the more usual spellings of the name in the modern idiom are With(e), Wyth(e) and Withers. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Wider. which was dated 1176 The Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire. during the reign of Henry 11 The Builder 1154 - 1189. 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.