Sollas

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and is from a medieval given name bestowed on a child born after the death of a sibling. The derivation of the name is from the Middle English "solace", Old French "solas", meaning "comfort, consolation". The word also came to have the sense "delight, amusement", and so the surname may in some cases have been originally given as a nickname to a playful or entertaining person. The creation of surnames from nicknames was a common practice in the Middle Ages, and many modern-day surnames derive from medieval nicknames referring to personal characteristics. Robert Solace is noted in the Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London (1372). In the modern idiom the name can be found as Sollis, Sollas, Solis, Soliss and Solass. Recordings of the surname from English Church Registers include: the marriage of Anne Sollas and William Clarke, which took place on June 1st 1600, at St. James' Clerkenwell, London, and the marriage of Elizabeth Sollars and Robert Anguish on February 16th 1602, at St. Michael Coslany, Norwich, Norfolk. A Coat of Arms granted to the family depicts a gold castle on a shield divided per quarter red and green. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Solace, which was dated 1269, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.