Blyt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname Blyt. It is a name for a happy or cheerful person having been derived from the Old English word blithe. 1 2

Alternatively, the name could have originated at Blyth in Northumberland or in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Both parishes derive their name from the Old English "blithe," meaning "the gentle or pleasant one." 3 The Yorkshire parish anciently in Nottinghamshire is the oldest dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Blide. 4

Another source notes "This place, anciently called Blia and Blida, was chiefly noted in former times for its religious and charitable establishments. In 1088, a priory was founded in honour of the Blessed Virgin, by Roger de Builly and his wife Muriel, for monks of the Benedictine order; which, though considered as an alien priory, being in some respects subordinate to the abbey of the Holy Trinity, near Rouen, in Normandy, was yet spared at the suppression of alien priories, and subsisted till the general dissolution, when its revenue was estimated at £126. 8. 2. An hospital for lepers, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, was founded by Hugh de Cressy, lord of Hodsock, in the reign of John." 5

Early Origins of the Blyt family

The surname Blyt was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland. Blyth was an old barony in the lordship of Lauderdale some time ago.

The first on record was of William de Blyth of Chirnesyde in Berwickshire who represented the family and rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296.

A few years later, the seal of Adam de Blyth was appended to an account of goods purchased at Perth in 1302. James Blyth was burgess of Dundy (Dundee) in 1485. 6

Further south in England, Blythe, Lancashire has an interesting history. It was originally held by Geoffrey Travers, whose son Henry, was called "de Blythe." Henry de Blythe's descendants "John and Robert de Blythe occur among the names of subscribers to the stipend of a chaplain at Ormskirk in 1366 and the latter also in the Poll Tax Roll of 1381. John de Blythe attested Scarisbrick charters in 1399 and 1401, and was the father of Roger, who in 1397 was charged with breaking into the parsonage house at Crossens. From him descended Roger Blythe, whose daughter and heir Margaret by her marriage with John Blakelache (or Blackledge) conveyed the estate to this family. " 7

Another source notes, William de Blithe was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Oxfordshire and Willelmus de Blythe was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Early History of the Blyt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blyt research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1493, 1499, 1503, 1530, 1542, 1563, 1567, 1603, 1605, 1646, 1654, 1691 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Blyt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blyt Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Blyt has been spelled Blythe, Bllyt, Blytht, Blyithe, Blith, Blyth, Blitht and many more.

Early Notables of the Blyt family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Richard Blyth, who represented Dundee in Parliament in 1567
Cuthbert Blyth, who was burgess of Edinburgh in 1563
Robert Blyth, who was retoured heir in land of Brounslope, Berwickshire, in 1646
Archibald Blyth, who appears as a baxter in Dysart in 1691
John Blyth (or John Blythe), Archdeacon of Richmond (1485-1493) and Bishop of Salisbury (1493-1499)
Geoffrey Blyth (died 1530), Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (1503-1530)

Migration of the Blyt family to Ireland

Some of the Blyt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blyt family

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them: John Blyth who settled in Virginia in 1652 with his wife Mary; Sarah Blyth arrived in Jamaica in 1774 with her husband John; Anne, George, John, Margaret, Samuel Blythe all settled in Charleston Massachusetts in 1820..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].