Standon

Recorded as Standen and sometimes Standon, this is an English surname. It is early medieval and locational from places called Standon in Berkshire, Lancashire and Wiltshire. They derive from the pre 7th century word "stan", meaning stone, and "denu", a valley, hence, stony valley. These place first appear in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as "Standeue". There is also a Standen on the Isle of Wight, first recorded as "Standone", with the second element deriving from "dun", meaning a down or a hill, thus, "stony hill", and a village of this name in Kent, which may derive from either "denu" or "dun". Locational surnames were usually acquired by a local landowner, or by the lord of the manor, and especially by those former inhabitants of a place who had moved to another area, and were thereafter best identified by the name of their birthplace. Amongst the early church recordings are the marriages of Clemence Standen and Thomas Butt, on October 8th 1595, at Shipbourne, and of James Standon and Elizabeth Bourdman, on October 7th 1596, at Tonbridge. Perhaps the first recorded spelling of the family name may be that of Richard Standen. This was dated April 19th 1535, at Headcorn, county of Kent, and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.