This interesting name, chiefly found in Cornwall, is of Celtic origin and is a compound of the definite article "an" i.e. "the", plus the Cornish "gov", a smith. The name is therefore occupational for a worker in metal and is widely recorded in church registers of that county from the mid 16th Century, (see below). On July 19th 1562 Alson Angove and Thomas Batten were married in Camborne, and on May 23rd 1566 William Anglove, an infant, was christened in Gwinear. On June 27th 1575 Kay Angove married a James Richards in Phillack and on November 12th 1581 Margeret Angove was christened in St. Keverne. In 1591 a George Angove was recorded in "The Cornish Wills Records". Earlier variants of the name minus the definite article have included Gough, Gow and Goff(e), the last mentioned form coming from the Old Cornish and Breton "goff", a smith. One, Betram Goffe, witness was recorded in "The Fine Court Rolls of Lincolnshire", dated 1208. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rogger Angove, which was dated November 1st 1556, "The Marriage Register of Camborne", Cornwall, during the reign of Queen Mary, "Mary Queen of Scots", 1553 - 1558. 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.

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