Dingwall - Name

This is a Scottish locational name from the lands of Dingwall in Ross. A John Yonger of Dyngwale witnessed a charter by William, Earl of Ross, in 1342. William of Dyngwale is recorded as Dean of Aberdeen and Ross in 1389. The Sir John Dingwall, the first recorded spelling of the name as below, was provost of Trinity college, Edinburg, and one of the Senators of the College of Justice in 1532. He is the "Sir John Dingwell" or "Dungwail" accused by John Knox of "Entertaining the wife and wasting the substance of one Alexander Furrour" during the latters confinement in the Tower of London. "Dingwall" is commonly taken to mean "valley of the Britons" from "denu",- valley and "wlah",- serf, otherwise ancient Briton. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sir John Dingwall. which was dated c.1532 during the reign of King James V, 1513- 1542. 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.