Chapelhow

This unusual name has a topographical origin i.e. "someone who lived by the chapel on the hill", "how" being the Middle English word for a mound or barrow. First recordings of the name are all found in Cumberland and Westmoreland, but it has now travelled to London and the northern counties. The name development has included, Thomas Chappillhow (1608 Cumbria) and Barbara Chappelow (1742 London). In the modern idiom the name can be spelt Chappelow, Chapelow, Chapplow, Chapelhowe and Chaplow. In 1742, George Chapplehow and Elizabeth Diment were married in St. George's Chapel, Mayfair, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Christopher Chappelhow. which was dated 1602, History Westmoreland and Cumberland. during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, 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.