This interesting and unusual name is a dialectual variant of Herriot, which has two possible meanings. Firstly it is possibly a name of French origin, the diminutive of the given name Harry or Henry, as Harriot it is a pet name for a boy and dates back to the plantagenets, circa 1154 - 1399. As a girls name it became popular in the 19th Century. Alternatively it is possibly a locational name from a place to the south of Edinburgh called Heroit, which denoted a piece of land restored to the feudal Lord on the death of its tenant. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th Century 'heregeathu', referring to military equipment. One Ed Harriott married Esther Martin on 24th December 1720 at St. Annes, Soho, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Haryott, which was dated in the Calendar Rolls, London, circa 1327, during the reign of King Edward 111, known as the Father of the Navy, 1327 - 1377. 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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