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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