This interesting surname, with variant spellings Peddell, Peddle, Pedell and Pattle, is of Germanic origin, and is from an occupational name for a beadle or school porter, deriving from the Germanic word "pedell". Job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. The surname dates back to the mid 16th Century (see below), and early recordings from London Church Registers include: the marriage of Anne Peddell and John Ellys on May 12th 1588, at St. Bride's, Fleet Street; the marriage of John Pattle and Elizabeth Porter on January 18th 1637, at St. Gregory by St. Paul; and the christening of Hester, daughter of Edward and Hester Pattle, on February 28th 1686, at St. Katherine by the Tower. A Coat of Arms was granted to the Pattle family which consists of a gold shield with five blue lozenges (a lozenge represents Honesty and Constancy, and it was also held to be a token of Noble Birth) conjoined across the centre, the Crest being an eagle displayed proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Pedell, which was dated 1550, a witness at the christening of his son, Rychard, at St. Martin Ludgate, London, during the reign of King Edward V1, known as "The Boy King", 1547 - 1553. 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.