Mattock

This is a surname of pre7th century Breton, Welsh and Olde English origins. There are at least thirteen modern surname spellings including Maddocks, Maddicks, Mattacks Mattock, Muttock, Mattick and Mattuck. In all cases and spellings the origins are the same. They all derive from the Old Welsh and Breton "Matoc or Madawc", personal names of great antiquity which translate as "the goodly one". This may be a reference to early members of the tribe who were holy men or hermits, people who performed good works for little reward. The first recording of the name in any spelling is believed to be that of Madoch, the Breton, in the 1086 Domesday Book. He was a follower of William, The Conqueror, and was rewarded with estates in the country region known as "The Marches" between England and Wales. Other early recordings include Madog (1150 - 1180), the son of Owain Gwynedd, King of North Wales, who is believed by some to have discovered America. The later surname development includes Robert Mattok of Cheshire, England, in 1290, and Robert Madduk of Cornwall in 1297. George, the son of John Mattock, was recorded at Winestead in Yorkshire, on March 20th 1583. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Maddoc, which was dated 1274, in the "Hundred Rolls" of the county of Shropshire. This was during the reign of King Edward 1of England, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.