The village of "Goldthorpe" in West Yorkshire is probably the place of origin of this habitational name. The placename is recorded as "Goldetorp" in the Domesday Book (1086) and "Goldtorp" in the Pipe Rolls (1197), from "golda's thorp", (old English personal name Golda, Gold for a wealthy person and "thorp", from the Old Scandinavian "porp", an outlying farm belonging to a village), "thorp" being a common element in placenames on the east coast of England. The surname itself dates from the 16th Century (see below). Early variants of the surname include "Gilsthorpe, Golthrop, Gauthropp" as well as "Goldthorpe". Agnes Gelstrop, married one Thomas Edtin, at the Church of St. Margaret's, Westminster, London on September 7th 1584. On November 11th 1599, at Ulverston, Lancashire, Elizabeth Gauthropp married Rowland Hirdson and at Bury, Lancashire, on April 9th 1618, Thomas Gauthrop married Ann Entwistle. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Gelsthrope, (marriage to Agnice Buckland), which was dated June 16th 1583, at St. Margaret's church Westminster, London, 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.

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