Tidbury

This unusual and interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from either of two places, one, Tidbury Ring near Whitchurch in Hampshire, or Tidbury Green, near Solihul in the Midlands. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name 'Tuda', with 'burg', a fortification or town, often a fortified manor, especially in early times. During the Middle Ages it became customary for people to travel further afield, often to seek work, and they would often adopt the placename as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. The name is particularly prevalent in Berkshire, which is a neighbouring county of Hampshire, where Tidbury is first recorded in the Register of Hyde Abbey in 1019 as 'Tudanbyrig'. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Edward Tidbury (christening), which was dated November 26th 1565, Aldworth, Berkshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 'Good Queen Bess', 1558 - 1603. 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.