Cartret History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cartret reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Cartret family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cartret family lived in Normandy, where they were the seigneurs of Carteret, near Barneville, in the arrondissement of Valognes. They lived there before the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. 1

Early Origins of the Cartret family

The surname Cartret was first found in Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat in the arrondisement of Valognes from ancient times.

The name is found early in Jersey. "Its seigneur took part in the Conquest of England, 1066. The Jersey family left the parent stock in the reign of Philip Augustus, and another descendant was created Lord Carteret in England." 2

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III listed Philip de Cartaret; John de Carteret; and Geoffrey de Carteret, Jersey as all living in Jersey at that time.

Some of the family were found on Sark (or Serk) a small island about 6 miles from Guernsey. "In 1565, Queen Elizabeth granted it in fee-farm, by letters-patent under the great seal, to Hilary de Carteret, Esq., by the twentieth part of a knight's fee." 3

Early History of the Cartret family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cartret research. Another 304 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1035, 1066, 1096, 1129, 1155, 1159, 1272, 1307, 1584, 1596, 1599, 1608, 1609, 1610, 1617, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1650, 1663, 1665, 1670, 1672, 1673, 1679, 1680, 1690, 1693, 1715, 1725 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Cartret History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cartret Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Carteret, Cartrett, Carteraye, Cartaret and many more.

Early Notables of the Cartret family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Philip Carteret (1584-1643), the first Governor of Jersey (1665-1673.) "Collins in his 'History of the Family of Carteret' states that Sir George was born in 1599, but this seems to be merely an inference from the statement that he was about eighty at the time of his death. On the other hand his mother, Elizabeth Dumaresq, did not marry Helier de Carteret until 1608 (Payne, Armorial of Jersey, p. 113), and one of the complaints of the inhabitants of Jersey against Sir Philip de Carteret in 1642 charges him with entrusting the...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cartret Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cartret family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Cartret name or one of its variants: James Carteret, who came to Carolina in 1622; George Carteret, who settled in Canada in 1643; Peter Carteret, who arrived in Carolina sometime between 1650 and 1699.

Citations +

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.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.