This interesting surname is a habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire called "Goldthorp", so called from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name "Golda", meaning gold, persuadably given to someone working with gold, a wealthy person or who may have had bright yellow hair, plus the old English "thorp", which means village or settlement. Hence, "the settlement of Golda". The place-name is recorded "Goldetorp" in the Domesday Book (1086) and "Goldtorp" in the "Pipe Rolls" (1197). The surname itself dates from the 16th Century, (see below). At Kirkburton, in Yorkshire on June 13th 1591, Alice Gouldthorp married Ralph Clayton. On November 11th 1599, at Uiverston, Lancashire, Elizabeth Ganthropp married Rowland Hirdson. On April 9th 1618, Thomas Gouthrop married Ann Entwistle at Bury in Lancashire. Richard Goulthrop had a son christened at Thornhill by Dewbury on September 10th 1620. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alicia, daughter of Wglhelmi Goldthroppe, (was christened), which was dated on February 25th 1565, at Kirburton, Yorkshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "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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