Shillinglaw - Name

This unusual and interesting surname of Scottish origin is a locational name from the old lands of Shillinglaw, Peeblesshire. Variations in the idiom of the spelling of the surname include Shillielaw, Shillilaw, etc.. The name dates back to the late 17th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one John Shillinglaw living in Thirlston Mill Tarboltan in 1685. Peter Shillinglaw married Elizabeth Purves on May 17th 1752 in Edinburgh. John Shillinglaw married Sarah Richardson in South Mimms, London on October 28th 1773, and Joseph, son of John and Sarah Shillinglaw, was christened at Monken Hadley, London on January 5th 1783. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Shillielaw, which was dated 1670, Birkensyde, during the reign of King Charles 11, "The Merry Monarch", 1660 - 1685. 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.