Contents [hide]

Cavalier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Cavalier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Cavalier family, who lived in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat on lands in the lordship of Calverley.

Early Origins of the Cavalier family

The surname Cavalier was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Calverley, a parish, in the union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley. 1

Today Calverley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire but the place name actually dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Caverleia 2 and literally meant " clearing where calves are pastured," from the Old English words "calf" + "leah." 3

Nearby is Calverley Old Hall, a medieval manor house which is believed to have been built (1485-1495) by the Calverleys. Today the property is held by the Landmark Trust. Baron Calverley is a recent barony created in 1945 for George Muff, the Labour politician. Calverleigh is a village, parish and former manor in Devon that also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Calodelie and later as Calewudelega in 1194. 3 However, this later village was held by the Nagle family for many years.

Of note, was Sir Hugh Calveley (d. 1393), a distinguished soldier, "the son of David de Calvelegh, and his first wife Joan, of Lea in Cheshire, and was the brother, it is thought, of Sir Robert Knolles. Calveley was one of the soldiers of fortune engaged in the war of succession between the partisans of the widow of Jean de Montfort and the wife of Charles de Blois, which lasted with varying fortune from 1341 to 1364. He was buried in the chancel of his college, and his effigy in complete armour may still be seen on one of the finest altar-tombs in his native county. It is engraved in Lysons and in Ormerod. A tablet is suspended against the north wall, opposite to the monument of Calveley, recording a bequest by Dame Mary Calveley of 100l., the interest to be given to poor people frequenting the church on the condition of their cleaning the monument and chancel." 4

Early History of the Cavalier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cavalier research. Another 203 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1136, 1394, 1605, 1607, 1608, 1658, 1670, 1700 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Cavalier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavalier Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Cavalier were recorded, including Calverley, Calveley, Calverlie, Calverly and others.

Early Notables of the Cavalier family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Hugh Calveley (died 1394), an English knight and commander, who took part in the Hundred Years' War; his effigy lies at St Boniface's Church, Bunbury, Cheshire; Sir Walter Calverley (1670-1749), 1st Baronet of Calverley in the County of York; and Sir John Calverley, Lord of Calverley. On the more infamous side, Walter Calverley (died 1605), grandson Sir Walter Calverley was an English squire and murderer. His notoriety came not from the murders but from the literary works that arose from his acts including: A Yorkshire...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cavalier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavalier Ranking

In the United States, the name Cavalier is the 12,876^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Cavalier is ranked the 5,446^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 6

Cavalier migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Cavalier arrived in North America very early:

Cavalier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Isaac Cavalier, who landed in Virginia in 1650 7

Cavalier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Cavalier, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 7

Cavalier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cavalier Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Toussaint Cavalier, who landed in Canada in 1832

Contemporary Notables of the name Cavalier (post 1700) +

Michael James Cavalier, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 51st District, 1956 8
Jean Cavalier (1681-1740), British major-general, Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, born 28 Nov. 1681 at Ribaute, near Anduze
Robert Cavalier de La Salle Sieur (1643-1687), French explorer
Cavalier Léon Bertrand, Professor at the London Fencing Club, London, England

The Cavalier Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ex caligine veritas
Motto Translation: Truth out of darkness.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html