This unusual surname, also found recorded in the spellings of Also, Allsoe, Alsoe and the extraordinary Allsow (see below), is locational, and derives either from the "lost" Derbyshire village of Allsobrook, or the village of Alsop, in both cases the "modern" surname being a dialectal short form. The name would appear to translate as "the valley (hop) of Aelle", from the pre 10th Century Olde English, with "Aelle" being an early baptismal name, not uncommon in the North Midlands. It is known that many areas of Derbyshire were cleared in the 15th and 16th Centuries of their inhabitants to provide additional space for sheep farming. The evicted inhabitants would then take or be given, as their surname, their former village name. However, spelling being at best problematical, the end result was often at variance with the original form. The early recordings of the surname include: John Allso, who married Sarah Burr at St. Margaret's Lothbury, London, on April 10th 1757, and William Allso, with his wife, Elisabeth, witnesses at the christening of their son, William, at St. John's Church, Bordesley, Warwickshire, on November 21st 1819. This union appears to be the origination of today's nameholders in the Midlands. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elysabeth Allsow, which was dated December 14th 1573, marriage to William Lewes, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, 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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