Tingley is a locational name from the village so named situated between Leeds and Wakefield in Yorkshire. The original spelling of the village is believed to have been Tinghill meaning 'the hill of the nail-maker' from the medieval English 'tingle' or 'tyngyl' - a small nail. Quite why the name of the village should change to its present form is unclear, but may be as a result of changed dialect at the end of the medieval period, which included the move from the French language, imposed by the Normans after the 1066 invasion. The early recordings include that of Elene Tyngyl in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1424. The later spellings include Elizabeth Tingley who married Miles Spencer at Howden, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, on August 14th 1627, and another Elizabeth, this time the daughter of Charles and Isabella Tingley, christened at St Giles Church, Cripplegate, London, on September 20th 1687, during the ill famed reign of James 11 (1685 - 1689). A further recording is that of Cathrin Tingly (as recorded) who married Joseph Hedges apparently by Civil Licence in London on November 23rd 1739. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ricardus Tynghyll, which was dated 1379, in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11, known as 'Richard of Bordeaux' 1377 - 1399. 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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