Edbrooke - Name

This is a West County locational name which appears to be of Devon-Somerset origins and derives from the Olde English 'ea-dael-broc' meaning 'one resident at the brook in the valley' although the precise location is obscure. Nevertheless the name is well recorded from the medieval period as both Edbrook and Edbrooke the latter being the 'French' form of spelling. The name is well recorded at Exford, Aisholt and Cutcombe where Mary Edbrooke married William Baker in April 1770. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Christian Edbrooke. which was dated 1595 (Baptised) at Exford, Somerset. during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 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.