This surname of Northern English and Scottish origin, is a regional name for someone who lived in the valley of the Tweed river, deriving from the Welsh "tywad" meaning "hemming in" with reference to the deep and narrow valley at points along the river course, plus the Middle English "dale" (Old English "doel") "valley". The name dates back to the late 13th Century, (see below). Further recordings include John de Tweddale (1376) "Records of the Barony of Kylbouho". Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Tweedale, Tweddell, Twedale, Tweddle, Tweedle, etc.. One Margaret Twiddell was christened at St. Botolph Bishopsgate, London on June 13th 1641. Mary, daughter of Jno and Jane Tweedell, at St. Dunstan, London on May 17th 1685. John Tweddell received an M.A. at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1793, where he distinguished himself. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Twedhall, which was dated 1279, in the "Assize Rolls of Northumberland", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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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