Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the settlement of Meaux in the East Riding of Yorkshire. There is some disagreement about the relationship of this small hamlet and the commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region of France by the same name. While the spellings are the same, some believe this is just coincidence. Whatever the reason, the surname Mewies belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Alternatively the name could have been derived from the Old English word Meaw which meant "a gull" or a "sea-mew." To complicate matters more, Meaw was also an Old English personal name and mue, derived from an Old French word was a cage for hawks that was used while they were mewing or moulting. Accordingly, the name could have been derived from a variety of sources.
Early Origins of the Mewies family
Yorkshire where it is generally believed that the first record of the name was Algarus filius Meawes who was listed in 1016 as an Old English byname. Over one hundred years later, John de Mehus was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1196. A few years later, Hugo de Mues was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1201. Thomas de Meuse was listed in the Feet of Fines in 1282.
Early History of the Mewies family
Another 353 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1829, 1831, 1619, 1706, 1672, 1657, 1640, 1644, 1641 and 1657 are included under the topic Early Mewies History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mewies Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Mewies have been found, including Mew, Mews, Mewes, Meux, Mewis, Muse, Mewsse, Mowse, Meaux and many more.
Early Notables of the Mewies family (pre 1700)
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Migration of the Mewies family to the New World and Oceana
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Mewies, or a variant listed above: Jeremy, Dorothy, and William Mew, who arrived in Barbados in 1654; Carolina Mewes settled in Texas in 1854. In Newfoundland, John Mew was a merchant of St. John's in 1805..
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