Some surnames have logical origins, this is not one of them! Vardy, Vardey, Vardie, Verdy and Verdie, are all forms of Verdey, Verdy, Verdie and Verdue, which are themselves forms of Verity, Vertie, Vertey and Verty. All derive from the ancient Roman (Latin) 'verite' meaning truthful. This name was probably given to actors who played the part in the medieval travelling theatres. Some of these names were also developments of the Olde French 'verdier', an occupational surname for a keeper of the Royal Forests, and as such a position of some power. Spelling upto the 19th century being at best problematical, and local dialects being so thick as to be literally foreign languages to strangers, has lead to the creation, and one has to say the confusion, in the origins of many surnames. This surname is popular today in both Northumberland and Derbyshire for example, but whatever its true meaning, its origins were almost certainly associated either with the Normans of 1066 or the slightly later 'Crusaders', of the 12th century, and lie across the Channel. An early example of the recordings was Thomas Verty of Yorkshire in the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, whilst chruch recordings from around the country include John Verde who married Agnes Byrd at St Gregory's by St Pauls, London, on February 6th 1598, and John Vardey or Vardy, who married John Singleton at St Mary Mouthaw, London, on May 28th 1620. Other recordings are those of Will Varty of Tynemouth on April 16th 1640, and Roger Vardie of Edlingham, also Northumberland on June 20th 1661. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Le Veritie, which was dated 1275, the Subsidy Rolls of the city of Worcester, 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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