Husselbee

This very unusual name does not appear to be recorded anywhere before the 19th Century, which is very unusual given it's apparent etymology. The origin would seem to be Norse-Viking and Old English pre 7th Century, a combination of "Hussel" which derives from "Hoetse-halh" and means "the place of the elf or witch", plus the Norse "Bi" - a farmstead. We assume that such a place once existed probably in East Anglia, but if so it would now seem to be lost, and therefore one of the seven thousand such surnames which have a similar origin. Villages have become "lost" through plague, famine or farming. An example of the rare recordings is Maria Husselbee, christened at St. Pancras Old Church on October 13th 1850. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Husselby, which was dated May 30th 1830, a witness at St. Mary's church, Lambeth, during the reign of King William 1V, "The Salior King", 1830 - 1837. 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.