This interesting name is English, but of Norman-French origins. It is locational from the place called "Mesnieres" in the province of Seine- Martime in Normandy, recorded in the 13th century as "Maneria", and hence a close association with the English spelling. The placename derives from the Latin verb "manere", meaning "to reside", and hence would have described an early Roman settlement. One branch of the original family of Manners can trace their ancestry to Etal or Ethale in the English county of Northumberland, where documents record a boundary dispute involving the family in 1232. The same family hold the titles Earl and Duke of Rutland and Marquess of Granby. The Scottish form of the name is Menzies, the first known bearer of the name in Scotland being Robert de Meyners or de Meyneiss, who was the Great Chamberlain of Scotland, and who witnessed various charters between the years 1217 - 1248. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reginald de Meiniers. This was dated in 1180, in the book known as "Loyd's origins of some Anglo-Norman Families in the county of Sussex". This recording was during the reign of King Henry 11nd of England also known as "The Church Builder", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the 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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