Recorded in several forms as shown below, this surname is English and pre-medieval in origin. It is locational and derives from 'Twyning', a village in Gloucestershire, near Tewkesbury. The placename is recorded in the Saxon Charters of 814 as 'Bituinaeum', and as 'Tuninge' and 'Tveninge', in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name has an interesting derivation; Originally it was from the Old English pre 7th century words or phrase 'betweon eam', meaning 'the place between the streams', as can be seen from the recording of 814. The later form is a derivative of the early name with the Old English suffix '-ingas', meaning 'the people of' the place between the streams. The later surname development includes Ayles Twynynge of Gloucestershire in 1448, Samuel Twenings of London in 1567 and Richard Twinning also of London in 1622. The modern surname can be found as Twining, Twyning and Twinning. The marriage of Thomas Twining and Anne Poole was recorded at Painswick, Gloucestershire, on June 4th 1618. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Margeret Twyninge, when she married Edward Morse at Upleadon in Gloucestershire. This was dated November 14th 1541, during the reign of King Henry V111, sometimes but not to his wives, known as 'Good King Hal', 1509-1547. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the 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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