This unusual name has both Norse-Viking and Olde English origins. It is topographical and derives from "worth", a pre 9th Century word meaning homestead, plus "hop", a marshy enclosed area or valley. The large number of variant spellings which include Worship, Worsnop and Worsnip, suggest a now "lost" location or village; however, it is possible that the name originates from the Nottinghamshire town of "Worksop", although the Domesday Book (1086) gives the original spelling as "Werchesop", with the prefix "weorc", being a personal name. As Worship, Worshype, and Woorshippe, the name makes an early entry (see below). However, the intrusive "n" would seem to be much later, and is a dialectal additive to aid pronunciation. As both Worsnip and Worsnop it is well recorded in Lancashire (Mossley area) from the Mid 18th Century; Abraham Worsnop marrying Sarah Williamson at Manchester Cathedral, on October 11th 1786. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Worshipe, which was dated December 7th 1561, a christening witness at St. Andrew's Church, Holborn, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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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