Worwood

This interesting English name has two possible sources, the first being that it is locational from a so called "lost" village, possibly once to be found in Warwickshire. This is suggested by the fact that the name appears extensively on Records in various forms, e.g., Whorewoode, Warwood(e), Whorwood and Worward, in the that county. The phenomena of the "lost " village, (of which it is estimated, between seven and ten thousand disappeared from the maps in Britain) occurred in the 13th and 14th Centuries due to enforced land clearance to make way for sheep pasture, along with the more natural causes such as plague and emigration. However it is possible that this name could also be topographical for someone who lived at a settlement on a slope, as Worwood is derived from the Olde English words "ora", a slope or bank and "worth", a homestead. One Elizabeth Worwood was christened on July 27th 1703 at Arley Warwickshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Whorwoode married Anne Fielde, which was dated July 19th 1580, King Norton Church Records, Warwickshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, 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.