Bevington - Name

This unusual surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from one of the places so called in Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. The placename derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Beofa", with "tun" "settlement", hence, "Beofa's settlement". Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The name dates back to the late 16th Century (see below). Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Bavington, Beavington, and Beavinton. Recordings include Randel Bevington who married Emme Ewer on the 26th November 1575 at St. Mary Woolchurch Haw, London and the marriage of William Beavington and Margaret Palmer on the 21st November 1599 at Honington, Warwickshire. On the 7th January 1704, Thomas, son of John and Anne Bevington, was christened at Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Bevington, which was dated 1570, christened at St. Giles', Cripplegate, London, 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.