This unusual and interesting surname is of early medieval origin, and is a locational name from one of the estimated seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets that have now disappeared from the maps of Britain. Enforced "clearing" and disposal of former inhabitants to make way for sheep pastures in the 14th Century, at the height of the wool trade, was a prime cause of these "disappearances", along with natural causes such as the Black Death of 1348. The component elements of the place-name Tigwell are believed to be derived from the Old English pre 7th Century "Teag" meaning "enclosure" plus "well(a)" "spring" or "stream" hence "enclosure by the stream or well". Church records show that the original place is thought to have been in Hampshire. William, son of Edward and Patience Tigwell, was christened on November 8th 1706, in Micheldever, Hampshire, and Thomas, son of John and Susana Tigwell, was christened in Thatcham, Berkshire on June 15th 1746. Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Tigwel, Tigewell, etc.. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anne Tigwell, which was dated 1683 - St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, during the reign of King Charles 11, "The Merry Monarch", 1660 - 1685. 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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