G'morning Jame,

And thanks for your ....
 
-> > Mmmm ... I've set up some Google alerts that report any 'net mentions
of
-> > Maxted, Mexted, Maxsted, Maxstead, etc., etc.
-> 
->    Just on variations of your last name?   I have one set on my full
name but
-> haven't tried one like that because I figured it would come up too much
to go
-> through...

My problem is that the name appears to have started as something like
"Mockstedde" well before the Romans got to England.  Their roading system
ran a straight highway due south from the city of Canterbury to a port and
was named 'Stone Street'.

Stone Street runs past a small part of Kent that locals had developed as a
fertilizer facility,  and the tiny lane that led to it was named
Mockstedde, now written Maxted Street.

The Normans took possession of various bits of Kent,  and the first record
of any Maxted had a "William of Mockstedde" paying rentals to monks. 

The Maxteds then spread north-east up Kent, west along the northern
coastline - and around the world from the Tilbury docks.

We have records showing one family emigrating as Maxteds to Christchurch in
New Zealand,  where they were transformed into Mexteds by an immigration
clerk with a spelling problem - and eventually produced a world-famous
Rugby footballer....

Hence the use of the range of names,  Google lacking AFAIA a Soundex
facility....

The volume isn't that great and is certainly interesting and ocassionally
very useful.

Go it a go !

Miles

  

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