1700 Skeggs Family in Anstey Hertfordshire
The Skeggs surname, variously spelt Skiggs, Skegg, Skeges, Skeck and others, is an unusual surname, but widely recorded in the north of England. In the 19th century Skeggs was a fairly common name in Hertfordshire, where our known Skeggs ancestors originated. It is an interesting example of how surnames were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. These nicknames were originally given with reference to a variety of personal characteristics, such as physical attributes or peculiarities, and mental and moral characteristics. The derivation, in this instance, is from the Old Norse byname "Skegg", "Beard", denoting someone with a particularly bushy beard. The “s” added at the end denotes “son of Skegg”.
Our Skeggs family history can be traced to Hertfordshire, a County to the north of London. The villages of Anstey and Barkway figure prominently as places of residence in the early 1800’s, Thomas Skeggs later moving to Bedfordshire to the North West of London.
Hertfordshire UK
Bedfordshire UK
