Balderson - Name

This interesting surname is of medieval English origin, and is an assimilated form of the locational name Balderston(e), which is itself derived from two places so called in Lancashire. The earliest recording in 1172 (Whitaker's "History of Whalley"') appears as "Balderestone"; in the Feet of Fines as "Baldreston" in 1256; and as "Baldreston" in the Court Rolls of 1323. Balderson derives from an Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Baldhere", composed of the elements "beold", brave, and "here", army, with "tun", a settlement. During the Middle Ages, when it was becoming more common for people to migrate from their birthplace to seek work elsewhere, they would often adopt the placename as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. Among the Church Recordings in Lancashire are the christenings of Richard Balderson on October 4th 1772, at St. Peter's, Liverpool, and of John Balderson on April 28th 1754, at Tunstall. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ales Balderson, which was dated June 16th 1599, marriage to Martin Clifton, in Lancaster, Lancashire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 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.