Shrubsall - Name

Recorded in several spellings including Shrobsholl, Shrubshall, Shrubsall, Shrubsell and others this is an English surname. It is locational and probably from the county of Kent, although this is not proven, the place apparently being one of the many 'lost' villages of the British Isles. Strange as it may seem in these overcrowded islands, recent research suggests that at least three thousand 'places,' some even small towns, have totally disappeared since Tudor times, as a result of agricultural changes, land drainage, coastal erosion, the Great Plagues, and even war. This is still going on today in the 21st century! The origin of this particular place may be the pre 7th century Norse-Viking 'skogr- halle' meaning 'The hall in the wood,' although this is conjecture. The first recording in the modern spelling may be that of Ann Shrubsholl, who was married at Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, in 1683, whilst the first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John de Sobesole. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of Kent during the reign of King Edward Ist of England, and known as 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.