Grayston-van Antwerpen Family Tree Web Site

Last name: MountThis surname is of pre 7th century Old French origins. It was introduced into England at the Norman Conquest of 1066, and is a residential name either for someone who lived at a place called Mont or Mount, or topographical for a person who lived on a hill. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. The surname dates back to the early 14th Century (see below), and other recordings include: Richard le Monter recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327, and Alan atte Mount listed in the Close Rolls of London in 1334. Recordings from early surviving church registers from the city of London include those of the marriage of Stephen Mountt and Ellsibethe Jewry on October 30th 1586, at St. Olave's Hart Street, and the christening of Eldrington Mount on August 24th 1590, at St. Margaret's, Westminster. A coat of arms granted to the Mount family has the blazon of a silver shield, with a red lion rampant on a green mount, the crest being a fox saliant supporting the trunk of a tree. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard del Mount,. This was dated 1301, in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. 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. Welcome to my Family Tree. For an easier view, please feel free to click on the "Family Book" tab on the left hand side of the Home page, scroll down the next page that opens and select the PDF format of Family Book. This will give a full Genealogy Report, which makes easier reading.Sylvia-Anne Last name:  BAYLISSThe surname of BAYLISS was a baptismal name 'the son of Bailey', i.e. the bailiff. It was an occupational name for a steward or official, the title of a muncipal magistrate, and elsewhere as bailiff which in England denotes an officer who served writs and summonses and ensure that court orders are carried out. Occupational surnames originally denoted the actual occupation followed by the individual. At what period they became hereditary is a difficult problem. Many of the occupation names were descriptive and could be varied. In the Middle Ages, at least among the Christian population, people did not usually pursue specialized occupations exclusively to the extent that we do today, and they would, in fact, turn their hand to any form of work that needed to be done, particularly in a large house or mansion, or on farms and smallholdings. In early documents, surnames often refer to the actual holder of an office, whether the church or state. The name was derived from the Old French BAILLIS. Early records of the name mention Thomas Baillis of the County of Yorkshire in 1547. Samuel Baylles in 1635, ibid. Thomas Baylis and Rachel Nereway were married at St. George's, Hanover Square, London in 1767. John Parry and Elizabeth Bayless were married in 1778, ibid. The small villages of Europe, or royal and noble households, even large religious dwellings and monastries, gave rise to many family names, which reflected the occupation or profession of the original bearer of the name. Following the Crusades in Europe in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries a need was felt for an additional name. This was recognized by those of gentle birth, who realised that it added prestige and practical advantage to their status. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped and flowing garment worn over the armour. The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. The arms were registered in London and granted 2nd June, 1725.