This interesting surname, of Olde English and Anglo-Saxon origins, is an occupational name for a maker of rope or strings, and specifically for the famous long bows used for both hunting and war. The derivation is from the pre 7th century word "streng", meaning string or cord. The surname was first recorded in the late 12th Century (see below), and was a popular Yorkshire surname by the 14th Century, Yorkshire being already famous for the production of textiles and other wool based products. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from authentic registers and charters of the medieval period include Roger le Strenger, in the "Middle English occupation lists" for Yorkshire in the year 1293, whilst Godwyna Strenger, a lady, was listed in "Kirby's Quest", a history of the county of Somerset in the year 1328. Other examples are those of Alicia, Stringer, the daughter of Johis Stringer, who was christened at Kirkburton, Yorkshire, on September 14th 1544, whilst Richard Stringer was a soldier under the command of Captain Thomas Merrell in Colonel Thornill's regiment of foot in the island of Barbadoes in 1679. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Walter Stringere, which was dated 1194, in the rolls known as the "Curia Regis" for the county of Wiltshire". This was during the reign of King Richard 1st, known as "The Lion-heart", 1189 - 1199. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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