This unusual surname found in the spellings of Maddy, Maddie, and the earlier forms Madye and Maddye, is probably a development of the medieval nickname "Matty." Matty is usually considered to be from Matthew, and in most cases that is probably true. There is a little story that Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, was known more familiarly as "Maddy." Quite whom was "familiar" to her is not clear. Both Matilda and Matthew have pre christian antecedents, Matilda having developed from Maud, and Maud being a development of Magdalene. Matthew is from Mattathiah, and again like Maud/Matilda is credited to being a Norman introduction to England, but may equally be from the early crusaders. There are no straight lines with names, and Maddy/Maddie has followed an even more crooked path. Curiously the "first" recording of Maddy is as Madyson, Thomas Madyson being registered in the Friary Rolls of Yorkshire in 1425. This would certainly seem to be a development of "Maudy" rather than "Matty" but no doubt the argument will rage until more detailed recordings are found. Amongst later recordings are those of Ellen Maddye, christened at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, and possibly related to Alice Madye as shown below. The parents in neither case being recorded. On January 24th 1685 Eleanor Maddy married John Crab at St James Church, Dukes Place, London, and earlier on January 1st 1681, John Maddie was a christening witness at St Botolphs without Aldergate, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alice Madye, which was dated June 5th 1541, christened at the church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, London, during the reign of King Henry V111, known as "Bluff King Hal," 1510 - 1547. 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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