Knolton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Knolton was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Knolton family lived in the township of Knowlton, Kent, from whence their name is taken.

Early Origins of the Knolton family

The surname Knolton was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were granted the lands by King William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were conjecturally descended from Thurstan, a Norman noble, who held the lands of Knowlton, originally spelt Chenoltone, from the Bishop of Bayeux.

Early History of the Knolton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knolton research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1728 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Knolton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Knolton Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Knolton are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Knolton include Knowltone, Knowlten, Nowlton, Nolton, Knowelden and others.

Early Notables of the Knolton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Knowlton (1692-1782), English gardener and botanist who was superintendent at an early age of Dr. Sherard at Eltham, Kent...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Knolton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Knolton migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Knolton, or a variant listed above:

Knolton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hannah Knolton, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 1
William P Knolton, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 1

Citations +

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)