Capey

This unusual name is first recorded in England in the late 16th Century (see below) and early 17th Century, which points to the fact of it being a Felmish Huguenot name. During the latter half of the 16th Century a great many Flemish and French Protestants emigrated to England to escape religious persecution in Europe. Many of these refugees were skilled workers, particularly cloth workers of various sorts, weavers, tapestry-workers etc., and the name "Capey" is an example of one of these skills, being a metonymic occupational name for a maker of Caps, Cowls and other headgear. The name "Cappe" is recorded heraldically in Flanders as a red shield with a gold, bar and three coots, spaced two and one. The first recording of the surname in its modern form is that of William Capey, married to Sarah Williams, London 1747. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Georgius Capie, married Joanna Fowler. which was dated 2nd September 1591, Brailes, 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.