Umphlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Umphlett family

The surname Umphlett was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time.

Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Salwarpe, held by Earl Roger, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. It is believed they were descended from Amfrid by Adeliza, sister of Hugh Grandmesnil through son Humphrey, the Baron Castellan of Hastings who returned to Normandy in 1069. The family were from Tilleul-en-Auge in Calvados or from Amflete, near Boulogne. 2 3

Some of the family were found in Norfolk in early days, as records there show Robert Amflet, Mayor of Lynn Regis in 1516 and William Amflete, rector of West Lexham in 1517. 4 Back in Worcestershire, we found this interesting entry "In 1669 Richard Amphlett sold certain lands in King's Norton to Daniel Greves to hold for 2,000 years." 5

Early History of the Umphlett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Umphlett research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1692, 1704, 1797, 1809, 1868, 1873, 1874 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Umphlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Umphlett Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Amphlett, Amflett, Amflis, Amphlis, Amphliss, Amphlet, Amflet, Amfliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Umphlett family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Paul Amphlett (1809-1883), of Wychbold Hall in Worcestershire. He was an English barrister and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874. Richard was the eldest of five sons of Rev. Richard Holmden Amphlett of...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Umphlett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Umphlett family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Umphlett or a variant listed above were: A. William Amphlett, aged 39, who arrived at Ellis Island from Ludlow, England, in 1913; Andrew William Amphlett, aged 40, who arrived at Ellis Island from Bluefields, Nicaragua, in 1913.

Contemporary Notables of the name Umphlett (post 1700) +

Thomas Mullen "Tom" Umphlett (1930-2012), American Major League Baseball center and right fielder who played from 1953 to 1955

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.