This rare and interesting surname is a variant of Yarlet, which is of Anglo-Saxon origin and has two possible sources. The first source is locational from a place so called in Staffordshire, which means either "gravel slope", derived from the Old English pre 7th Century "ear", gravel, and "hlid", slope, of the Old English "earn", eagle, and "hild", as before. The second source is topographical for someone who lived at such a place. The placename was first recorded as "Erlide" in the Domesday Book of 1086. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names. The modern surname can be found as Yarlet(t), Yerlet(t) and Yarlot(t). Among the recordings in London are the christening of Edward, son of Edward and Elizabeth Mary Yerlett, on July 19th 1829 at St. Pancras, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Wesleyan, and the marriage of Edward Yerlett and Harriet Conn on April 4th 1844 at St. Pancras, Old Church. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter de Erlida, which was dated 1167, The Pipe Roll of Staffordshire, during the reign of King Henry 11, "The Builder of Churches", 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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