This is an English locational name from a place thus called in Monmouth, five miles from Newport, or from Marshfield in Gloucestershire. The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th century 'mersc' meaning a 'marsh' or 'fen' and 'feld' - 'open country'. The name was originally given to someone residing in either of these places or to one dwelling near boggy land. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Peter de Marsfelde which was dated 1327 The Somerset County Rolls during the reign of King Edward 111 The Father of the Navy 1327-1377 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.