Historians claim to have uncovered the first use of the word f*** in a court document dating from 1310.

Dr Paul Booth, who was a lecturer in medieval history before retiring, spotted the name 'Roger Fuckebythenavele' in the Chester county court plea rolls from December 8, 1310.

The man was being named as part of a process to be outlawed - meaning he could be executed on sight.

Dr Paul Booth of Keele University spotted the name in 'Roger Fuckebythenavele' in the Chester county court plea rolls from December 8, 1310. The first of three entries reads: County court of Chester, held on Tuesday after the feast of St Nicholas, 4 Edw. II, before Payn Tibotot, justiciar of Chester (8th December, 1310) A man called 'Roger Fuckebythenavele' was exacted for the first time.

Dr Paul Booth of Keele University spotted the name in 'Roger Fuckebythenavele' in the Chester county court plea rolls from December 8, 1310.

Dr Booth told dailymail.com the find was entirely accidental.

'One of my current projects is looking at records of Edward 2nd, a time of great turmoil.

'I've been going through these magnificent records, and I came across this by accident - it really does shout out at you.'

At first, he assumed it was simply a joke made by a court clerk.

However, then he discovered it was written three times.

'I thought it might be a clerk's joke, but I think this is actually someone who have been given this nickname.

'It's written clearly, and three times, and I think that shows its not a joke.'

Although he admit he doesn not know the meaning of the nickname, he has two theories.

'Either this refers to an inexperienced copulator, referring to someone trying to have sex with the navel, or its a rather extravagant explanation for a dimwit, someone so stupid they think this that is the way to have sex.'

The second entry: County court of Chester, held on Tuesday after the feast of the Ascension, 4 Edw. II, before Payn Tibotot, justiciar of Chester (25th May, 1311) Roger Fukkebythenavele, exacted

The man in question first appears on September 1310, then in May 1311, then finally in September 1311, when he is outlawed.

'If accused of a serious crime, you would be called three times, then at the fourth session you could be outlawed - executed without trial if caught,' said Dr Booth.

Crown copyright, published with the approval of her majesty's stationary office.

'County court of Chester, held on Tuesday after the feast of St Nicholas, 4 Edw. II, before Payn Tibotot, justiciar of Chester (8th December, 1310),' the register reads.

'A man called 'Roger Fuckbythenavele' was exacted for the first time [the process preliminary to outlawry]. '

Prior to Dr. Booth's discovery, the previous earliest use of the word was in them poem Flen flyys, written around 1475, which is a mixture of Latin and English.

The poem, which satirizes the Carmelite friars of Cambridge, England, takes its title, 'Flen flyys', from the first words of its opening line, Flen, flyys, and freris ('Fleas, flies, and friars')

It had a line that read 'fvccant vvivys of heli', a Latin/English mix meaning 'They are not in heaven, because they f**k wives of Ely'.

Dr Booth plans on publishing an article about his discovery in the journal Notes and Queries, and said he had notified the Oxford English dictionary.

The final entry: County court of Chester, held on Tuesday the vigil of Michaelmas, 5 Edw. II, before Payn Tibotot, justiciar of Chester (28th September, 1311) Roger Fuckebythenavel’, outlawed.

A BANNED WORD The word, which entered common English in the late 15th century, became rarer in print in the 18th century when it began to be regarded as vulgar. It was even banned from the Oxford English Dictionary. In 1960, Grove Press (in the US) won a court case permitting it to print the word legally for the first time in centuries - in D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover (written in 1928). Advertisement

Eric Partridge, a famous etymologist, said that the German word was related to the Latin words for 'pugilist,' 'puncture,' and 'prick.'

The word, which entered common English in the late 15th century, became rarer in print in the 18th century when it began to be regarded as vulgar.

It was even banned from the Oxford English Dictionary.

In 1960, Grove Press (in the US) won a court case permitting it to print the word legally for the first time in centuries - in D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover (written in 1928).

Cursing is still commonplace, with one study claiming English speakers also use a curse word on average once in every 140 words, roughly the same proportion as the first person plural pronouns such as 'we', 'us' and 'our.'

In her book, 'Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing,' Dr. Mohr claims the upper classes are just as likely to turn the air blue as less educated working class people.

The group least likely to use swear words, says the researcher, is the middle class.

'This goes back to the Victorian era idea that you get control over your language and your deportment, which indicates that you are a proper, good person and this is a sign of your morality and awareness of social rules,' she said.

'Aristocrats have a secure position in society, so they can say whatever they want — and may even make a show of doing so,' she adds.

Dr. Mohr said her book sets out to correct some misconceptions people have about swearing.

Rather than lazy language, obscenities can have practical uses, such as providing relief from pain if a person gets hurt, for instance when you hit your hand with a hammer.

Studies have shown that swearing sometimes has a genuine physiological effect on the body.

Swearing also helps to form social solidarity - for example, when workers use swear words while talking about their managers, it builds an 'in-group' which aids social and professional interaction.

Dr. Mohr, who holds a PhD in Renaissance literature from Stanford, also told Time magazine that swearing is nothing new.

The Romans, like us, used taboo words relating to sexuality as insults, while the word 's***' originated in the Old English language of the Anglo-Saxons.

The name John le Fucker appears in 1278, but this likely could be just a different spelling for the word 'fulcher' which means soldier.

In his book, The F Word, Jesse Sheidlower explains 'fuck is a word of Germanic origin.