This interesting and most unusual surname, found particularly widespread in Devonshire and Cornwall, is of Old Cornish origin, and is of locational derivation from either Treaise, Penwith or Trerice, Newlyn East, Cornwall. Both placenames are composed of the Cornish elements "tre", a farm or homestead, and "res, rys", a ford; hence the "farm, homestead by the ford". During the Middle Ages, when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often used their former village name as a means of identification, resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. The surname is first recorded from the former placename mentioned above in the early 14th Century (see below), while other early recordings include Odo de Treres in 1326 and Odo de Trerees in 1359. Charytye, daughter of John Trasse, was christened on January 29th 1552, at Roborough by Torrington, Devonshire; the christening of Robert Traise took place on October 1st 1722, at Milton Abbot, Devonshire; and the marriage of Richard Traise and Margaretta Harris was recorded on February 1st 1792, at Falmouth, Cornwall. The Coat of Arms most associated with the name depicts on a silver field a red cinquefoil pierced within an orle of nine red estoiles of eight points. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Odo de Treveys, which was dated 1302, in "Medieval Cornish Records", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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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