This ancient Scottish surname is now very rare, and pre-World War 11 was believed to be found only in the vicinity of Hawick! However, this is clearly no longer the case, nameholders have been recorded in various parts of America, where no doubt the name causes all manner of difficulties, not the least in its Germanic appearance. It derives originally from a hamlet called Fawhope, on a stream of the same name in the parish of Teviothead, Roxburgh. The placename spelling has been variously recorded as Fallhope, Phallope and Phaehope, the local dialect pronouncing it as Phaup. Name recording examples include the following: Archibald Fawup (also recorded as Fawp), chaplain at the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin, Linlithgoe, in 1529, whilst in 1657, Andrew Phaup was a Notary Public in Melrose. In 1662, Thomas Phalp, a covenanter was drowned off Orkney, and in 1715, at the time of the first Stuart War, Isobell Phaup was a "cotar" at Stitchill. An amusing anecdote refers to Will O'Phawhope, who according to tradition, was the last borderer to speak with the fairies! The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Fauhope, which was dated 1304, a juror on the Inquisition into the land holdings of Robert the Bruce, during the reign of the Scottish Interregnum, 1296 - 1306. 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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