Bonnithon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Early Origins of the Bonnithon family

Early History of the Bonnithon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonnithon research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1149, 1162, 1510, 1580, 1600, 1630, 1631, 1650, 1671, 1678, 1705 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Bonnithon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonnithon Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Bonithon, Bonnithon, Boniton, Bonniton, Bonitton, Bonython and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonnithon family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Richard Bonython (1580-1650?), an early American settler, the second son of John Bonython of Bonython, and was baptised at St. Columb Major on 3 April 1580. "His title of 'captain,' and a passage in the 'Winthrop Papers' (Massachusetts Historical Society, 4th ser. vii.), seem to prove that he served in the French wars with Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who like himself was a west-country man. In 1630 he received a grant of a large tract of land on the east side of the Saco river, in Maine, or, as it was then called, New...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bonnithon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bonnithon family

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Bonnithon Richard Bonython who settled in Maine in 1629.