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Drinkwater Family History

This interesting surname, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a nickname from the Olde English pre 7th Century "drincan" meaning "drink" plus "woetre", "water". In the Middle Ages, weak ale was the universal beverage among the poorer classes, and so cheap as to be drunk like water, whereas water itself was only doubtfully potable. The surname may have been given in irony to an innkeeper or a noted tippler. The surname dates back to the late 13th Century (see below). Further recordings include one John Drinkewater (1274), the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire.