Widdocks

A dialectual transposed name of Olde English origin pre 9th Century and meaning 'the dweller by the white oaks'. In early English as in Welsh 'dd' was pronounced 'th' hence 'hwidd-ock's'. The name is rare, the normal spellings being Whittock, Whittuck, Whytock or Whittek, the 'White Oak' being one of the variant species of the tree which was also known as 'the Tree of Life', an oak tree being the usual village meeting place. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Whyttock. which was dated 1327, The Pipe Rolls of Somerset. during the reign of King Edward 111 The Father of the Navy 1327 - 1377 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.