The Olde English pre 9th century name Edmund, which derives from 'Eadmund' and translates as 'Prosperity-Protector', provided the basis for a medieval surname of which there are five modern spellings. Recorded as a personal name in the Domesday Book (1086) when few surnames existed, as Aedmundus, the first true surname recording was Nicholas Edmundus 1210, in Cambridge. The patronymic 'son of' was first recorded in Yorkshire, where it has remained a poular surname. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Edmondson which was dated 1379, The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls during the reign of King Richard II, Richard of Bordeaux, 1378 - 1400 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.