Brimfield

This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from a place so called in Herefordshire, which appeared as "Brumefelde" and "Bromfelde" in the Domesday Book of 1086 and as "Bremelfelda" in 1123 in the "Place Names of Herefordshire". The placename itself is composed of the Olde English pre 7th Century elements "bremel", brambles and "feld", field, open country free from trees, with the dissimilatory loss of the "l" in the initial element. During the Middle Ages when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. Mary, daughter of Henry Brimfeild was christened on January 12th 1622 at Broadway in Worcestershire, while Elizabeth Brimfield married John grant on July 10th 1659 at St. Lawrence Pountney, London. Francisca Brimfield married Richardus Chidley on May 13th 1679 at Wistanton in Shropshire. A Coat of Arms was granted to a Brimfield family which depicts three silver lions passant on a red shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Isabelle Brimfylde, which was dated November 14th 1547, christened at Feckenham in Worcestershire, during the reign of King Edward V1, "The Boy King", 1547-1553. 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.