| ![Show Contents]() Knighton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Knighton surname lived in Knighton, which had three locations. The first West Knighton, a parish in the county of Dorset; the second, a chapelry in the parish of Lindridge in the county of Worcester; and thirdly, a chapelry in the parish of St. Margaret's, Leicestershire. Early Origins of the Knighton familyThe surname Knighton was first found in Worcestershire at Knighton-upon-Teame, a chapelry in the parish of Lindridge. West Knighton, is a parish in Dorset, four miles from Dorchester and Knighton is a chapelry in the parish of St. Margaret, Leicester. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists Cnihtetone, (Lecistershire) and Chitestone (Staffordshire.) 1 The first record of the family was Henry Knighton (Cnitthon) (fl. 1363) the English historical compiler and canon of St. Mary's Abbey, Leicester. His name, Henricus Cnitthon is found in three books of the time. 2 In early rolls, a wide variety of spellings were found: Alexander de Cnichteton in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire; Ralph de Knichton in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1222; and Hugh de Knyghton in the Subsidy Rolls for Leicestershire, to name a few. 3 In Yorkshire, Thomas de Knyghton was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4 And in early records from Scotland, "Nicol de Knyghton del counte de Edinburgh rendered homage, 1296 [to King Edward I of England]." 5 Early History of the Knighton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knighton research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1170 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Knighton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Knighton Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Knighton are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Knighton include: Knighton, Nicken, Nighten and others. Early Notables of the Knighton familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Knighton RankingIn the United States, the name Knighton is the 7,600th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
 Knighton migration to the United States | + |
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Knighton or a variant listed above:
Knighton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Knighton, who landed in Virginia in 1643 7
- Geo Knighton, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 7
- Thomas Knighton, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 7
Knighton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Joseph Knighton, who arrived in America in 1804 7
- Joseph Knighton, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1813
- Mary A Knighton, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1864 7
| Knighton migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Knighton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Richard Knighton, English convict from Huntingdon, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
- Mr. John Knighton, English convict who was convicted in Weedon Bec (Weedon Barracks), Northamptonshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- Mary Knighton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Recovery" in 1839 10
| Contemporary Notables of the name Knighton (post 1700) | + |
- George H. Knighton, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Erie County 2nd District, 1909 11
- William Myles Knighton CB (1931-2023), British senior civil servant, Principal Private Secretary to the Minister of Technology (1966-1968), Assistant Secretary at the Department of Trade (1967-1974)
- William Knighton (1776-1836), 1st Baronet, private secretary to the sovereign, George IV
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Lee, Sir Stanley, Dictionary of National Biography. London: The MacMillan Company 1909. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RECOVERY from London 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Recovery.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Knighton migration to the United States 
Knighton migration to Australia 
England
Scotland
