The ancient and honourable name of 'De Ville' was held by one of the followers of William the Conqueror, the name holders being originally granted lands in Yorkshire and Lincoln in the century following the 1066 Conquest. The name originates from 'Seine-Inferiere' - part of Normandy. The popularity of De Ville has lead to the anglicized creation of many variant spellings which have appeared on our records at the following dates: Dulle (1600), De Wall (1693), Duwell (1704), Dewell (1606) and Diwell (1850), the latter being very late and a further variant of the earlier Dewell. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Margaret Dewell. which was dated 1850 Married in Stepney, London. during the reign of Queen Victoria 'The Great White Queen' 1837-1901. 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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