Bassford

This name is of English locational origin from any of the various places called Basford, for example Basford in Stafordshire, Cheshire and Nottinghamshire. The former two recorded respectively as Bechesword and Berchsford in the Domesday Book of 1086, derive their first element from the Olde English pre 7th Century "beorc" meaning "birch", the second element comes from the Olde English "worth", an enclosure, or "ford", a ford. The latter, recorded as Baseford in the Domesday Book, translates as "Basa's ford". The surname from this source is first recorded in the latter half of the 13th Century, (see below). On May 20th 1599, Alles, daughter of George Bashford was christened in St. Anne Blackfriars, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Chaplain de (of) Baseford, which was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of Nottinghamshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as the Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. 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.