Smeaton

Smeaton
This surname, of English and Scottish origin, is a locational name from any of the various places, notably Smeaton near Edinburgh and in North and West Yorkshire, or Smeeton in Leicestershire, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "smioa", meaning "smiths", plus "tun", settlement; hence, "settlement of the smiths". Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The name dates back to the late 13th Century (see below), and other early recordings include: Henricus de Smeithtone, juror on an inquisition at Muskylburg, Edinburgh, in 1359, and John Smeton, recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire. In the modern idiom the surname can be found recorded as Smeeton, Smeaton, Smieton, Smetoun and Smittoune. Recordings from London Church Registers include: the marriage of William Smeyton and Agnes Newton on August 31st 1550, at St. Matthew's, Friday Street, and the christening of William, son of Thomas and Joan Smeeton, on December 29th 1653, at St. Margaret's, Westminster. An interesting namebearer, recorded in the "Dictionary of National Biography", was John Smeaton (1724 - 1792), a civil engineer who constructed Eddystone Lighthouse in 1756, and who founded the Smeatonian Club in 1771. The family Coat of Arms is on a gold shield a red lion's head erased between three green papingoes. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry de Smithetone, which was dated 1296, recorded in the County of Edinburgh, Scotland, during the reign of King Robert "The Bruce" of Scotland, 1225 - 1329. 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.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Smeaton — may refer to:* Smeaton, East Lothian, a village and estate in Scotland * Smeaton, Victoria, an Australian town * Smeaton (surname), people with the surname Smeaton ee also* Great Smeaton, an English village * Little Smeaton, an English village …   Wikipedia

  • Smeaton — (spr. Smihin), John, geb. 1724 in Ästhorpe bei Bends, studirte erst die Rechte u. dann industrielle Wissenschaften; seine erste Bemühung war eine Maschine zu erfinden, um die Strecke zu messen, welche ein Schiff auf der See zurücklegte. 1759… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Smeaton —   [ smiːtn], John, britischer Ingenieur, * Austhorpe Lodge (bei Leeds) 8. 6. 1724, ✝ ebenda 28. 10. 1792; errichtete 1756 59 den Eddystone Leuchtturm, stellte experimentelle Untersuchungen an Wasser und Windrädern an und verbesserte seit 1767 die …   Universal-Lexikon

  • SMEATON — UNITED KINGDOM (see also List of Individuals) 8.6.1724 Austhorpe/UK 28.10.1792 Austhorpe/UK John Smeaton was taken into apprenticeship by a designer of scientific instruments in London. From 1752, Smeaton submitted three papers to the Royal… …   Hydraulicians in Europe 1800-2000

  • Smeaton — John Smeaton (* 8. Juni 1724 in Austhorpe bei Leeds; † 28. Oktober 1792) war ein Ingenieur und gilt als der Vater des Bauingenieurwesens. Portrait von John Smeaton, im Hintergrund der Eddystone Leuchtturm. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Smeaton, East Lothian — Smeaton is a village and country estate in East Lothian, Scotland. It is off the B1407, near East Linton, and very close to Prestonkirk Parish Church as well as the National Trust for Scotland properties Preston Mill and Phantassie Doocot.The… …   Wikipedia

  • Smeaton (surname) — Smeaton is a surname, and may refer to:* Professor Alan Smeaton, Irish author and academic * Bruce Smeaton, Australian composer * Cooper Smeaton, Canadian professional ice hockey referee and coach * John Smeaton (1724 – 1792), English civil… …   Wikipedia

  • Smeaton, Saskatchewan — is the community at the start of the Hanson Lake Road, which ends at Creighton, Saskatchewan (neighbouring community: Flin Flon, Manitoba …   Wikipedia

  • Smeaton, Victoria — Infobox Australian Place | type = town name = Smeaton state = vic caption = The Cumberland Hotel at Smeaton lga = Shire of Hepburn postcode = 3364 est = pop = 250 elevation= maxtemp = mintemp = rainfall = stategov = Ripon fedgov = Ballarat dist1 …   Wikipedia

  • Smeaton's Tower — Infobox Building building name=Smeatons Tower building type=Lighthouse coordinates=coord|50.36441|N|4.14183|W|display=inline,title caption=Smeaton s Tower and Plymouth Hoe location=Plymouth, Devon, South West England, UK completion… …   Wikipedia

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