This name is of Old Norse origin, and is locational from a place in Lincolnshire called Goulceby. Recorded as "Colchebi" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and as "Golckesbi" in the 1185 Knights Templars Records of that county, the first element is believed to be the Old Norse personal name "Colc" or "Golk" (of uncertain meaning), plus the Old Norse "by", a farm or settlement. Locational surnames, such as this, were usually acquired by a local landowner, or by the lord of the manor, and especially by those former inhabitants of a place who had moved to another area, usually in search of work, and were thereafter best identified by the name of their birthplace. The surname from this source is first recorded at the beginning of the 13th Century (see below). The present day spellings Goldby and Goldsby first appear in late 16th Century London Church Registers, which include: the christening of Anne Goldby, an infant, on September 11th 1575 in St. Andrew's by the Wardrobe, and the christening of Mary, daughter of William Goldsby, on December 21 1701 in St. Olave's, Southwark. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph de (of) Golkesby, which was dated 1202, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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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