Walsom

This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from places called North Walsham and South Walsham in Norfolk and Walsham le Willows in Suffolk. The former appeared as "Northwalsham" and the latter as "Suthwalsham" in the "Codex Diplomaticus aevi Saxonici", circa 1044, while the placename in Suffolk was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wal(e)sam". The name is composed of the element "Walh", a personal name from the Olde English "walh", Briton, and the Olde English word "ham", village, manor. Locational names were originally given to the lord of the manor or as a means of identification to those who left their place of birth to seek work elsewhere. Thomas Walzam, son of Richard Walzam, was christened on December 10th 1597, at Horbling in Lincolnshire. Ann Walesam married John Cushing on April 24th 1628 at Hingham in Norfolk, and one James Walsom married Elizabeth Willby on July 7th 1659, at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Walsome, which was dated July 29th 1592, a christening witness, at Horbling, Lincolnshire, 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 known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.