This interesting surname is a locational and regional name from both northern England and Scotland, describing someone who lived in the valley of the River Tweed, which flows between North Eastern England and South Eastern Scotland. The name derives from the Welsh "tywad" meaning "hemmed in" with reference to the deep and narrow valley at points along the river course, plus the Middle English "dale" (from the old English pre 7th Century "doel") meaning "valley". The surname is first recorded in England in the latter half of the 13th Century (see below). The earliest recording of the name in Scotland is from the "Ancient Charters of the Earldom of Morton", which mentions one, John de Tweddale, as tenant of the Earl of Douglas in the barony of Kilbucho in 1376. In the modern idiom, the surname has many variant spellings including Tweddell, Tweedale, Tweedle, Twaddle, Twaddell, etc.. On December 4th 1709, Ann, daughter of Ephraim and Mary Tweddle, was christened at St. Bride, Fleet Street, London, and their daughter Mary, was christened in the same place on November 7th 1711. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Twedhall, which was dated 1279, The Assize Rolls of Northumberland, during the reign of King Edward 1st, "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.