Hasluck

This interesting and unusual surname is of Old Scandinavian origin, and comes from the Old Norse personal name "Aslakr", Old Danish, Old Swedish "Aslak". The given names derive from the Old Norse "as", god, with "lakr", a port; hence "God of the port". Pre 7th Century Anglo-Saxon and Norse baptismal names were usually distinctive compounds whose elements were often associated with the Gods of Fire, Water and War. he names Aslac, Aseloc and Haslec (without surname) are noted in the Domesday Book of 1086, in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk respectively. Haselac molendinarius is listed in the 1177 Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire. The surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 12th Century (see below) and can also be found as Haslock and Hasloch. William Aslac is registered in the 1189 Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, and Petronill Oslok is listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk (1327). Recordings of the surname from London Church Registers include: the christening of Thomas, son of Thomas and Lucy Hasluck, on March 1st 1732 at St. Mary Whitechapel; and the christening of Mary, daughter of Connorad and Jane Hasluck, on January 27th 1760 at The Lying In Hospital in Endell Street. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a black shield charged with an ermine chevron between three silver Catherine wheels, the Crest being a black talbot's head guttee d'eau. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Aselach, which was dated 1189, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. 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.