This very unusual name is comprised of two separate French surnames both recorded heraldically in Rietstapps Armourial General for the continent. In the case of De Rye, this is locational and originally recorded both in hiege (Flanders-Belgium) and Brittany (France), it is also recorded in a double barrelled variant of de Rye - Longwy of Brest. In the case of Barrett, this is also of Old French origins being job descriptive for a maker of caps and bonnets, and deriving from 'Barat or Barrette' de Rye is a locational name and indicates a person living by a corn field or perhaps a corn merchant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Barate, which was dated 1165, the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, during the reign of King Henry II, 'The Church Builder', 1154 - 1189. 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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