Manthorpe

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and is a locational name from either of two places called Manthorpe in Lancashire. Manthorpe near Witham on the Hill is recorded as "Mannetorp" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Manthorpe near Grantham is recorded as "Mannetorp" in the 1185 Records of the Templars in England. The derivation of the placename is from the Old Norse personal name "Manni" (a derivative of "mathr", genitive "mannes", man), and the Old Norse "throp", settlement, hamlet, village; hence, "Manni's settlement". Locational surnames were given to the lord of the manor, and to those former inhabitants who left to live or work in another area, and in this way the spelling of the name often changed with varying regional pronunciations. In the modern idiom the surname has many variant spellings ranging from Mantrip, Mantrup, Manthroppe and Minthorpe, to Manthorpe, Minithorpe, Mennithorp and Mantripp. Recordings of the surname from English Church Registers include: the marriage of Edward Manthorpe and Alice Barbor on October 18th 1605, at Stradbroke, Suffolk; the marriage of Mary Mantrup and Samuel Rogers at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, on February 17th 1634; and the marriage of John Mantripp and Sarah Botwright on December 13th 1803, at Lowestoft, Suffolk. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomazin Manthorp, which was dated September 1st 1549, christened at Worlingham, Suffolk, during the reign of King Edward V1, known as "The Boy King", 1547 - 1553. 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.