This name is of Northern English topgraphic origin deriving from the Olde Scandinavian "lin" meaning "flax" plus the Olde Norse "Skali" a hut, shed or temporary building. The name was therefore given to one residing by one such shed in which flax was stored or laid out to dry. The surname is particularly well recorded in Yorkshire Church Registers from the early 17th Century. On October 25th 1629 Dorothe Linskill, an infant, was christened in St. Mary's Barton and on July 11th 1704, Burrough Linskill a son was born to John and Lucy Linskill at Catterick. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alleson Linskale, daughter of William Linskale. which was dated June 23rd 1616, christened at Whitby. during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. 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.