This interesting surname is of topographical origin for a dweller on cleared land or open country, deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century "feld" meaning pasture or open country, which was land cleared of forest, but not brought into cultivation. The surname dates back to the 13th Century, (see below). An English Family by the name of Feilding, trace their descent from Geoffrey Feilding, who fought under King Henry 111, (1216-1272). They hold the earldoms of Denbigh and Desmond. One, Roger Fylding, is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire (1327). Recordings of the surname from the London church registers include; Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Fielding, who was christened on December 14th 1600, at St. Botolph without Algate; Briget Fielding, who married Nicholas Brunt on February 4th 1626, at St. John, Hackney; and on March 8th 1634, Jacob, son of Griffin and Susan Fielding, was christened at St. Ann's, Blackfriars. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph Felding, which was dated 1279, The Hundred Rolls of Hundingdonshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, "The Hammer of the Scots", 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.