This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon and Scottish origin, and has two possible sources, the first being a topographical name for someone who lived in a house by the valley, derived from the Old English pre 7th Century "dael", valley, and "hus" house; the name could also be from a placename with this origin, such as Dalehouse in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The second source is locational from a place near Forres, thought to derive from the ancient British pre Roman "dol", meadow, itself derived from the Gaelic "dail", and the British "gwas", dwelling, and means "dwelling by the meadow". The surname development since 1262, (see below) includes: Roger del Dalhous (1301, Yorkshire), William de Dalhous (1327, Yorkshire), John de Dolas (1429, Scotland) and Henry Dallas (1513, Scotland). Among the recordings in London is the christening of James, son of Hugh Dallas, on June 18th 1682 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. The christening was recorded in Scotland of Andrew, son of Arthur Dallas and Magdalan Allan, on April 12th 1696 at Edinburgh, Midlothian. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Archebaldus de Doleys, which was dated 1262, in the "Acts of Parliament of Scotland", during the reign of King Alexander 111 of Scotland, 1249 - 1286. 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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