Chamberlayne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The Chamberlayne family was an integral part of the history ancient France since it was derived from the northern, coastal region of Normandy. Chamberlayne was a name given to a person who worked as a chamberlain. A chamberlain was one who was in charge of the private chambers of a noble, and later was a high ranking title having derived from the Anglo Norman French word, "chamberlan."

Early Origins of the Chamberlayne family

The surname Chamberlayne was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat.

"John, Count de Tankerville, of Tankerville Castle, in Normandy, took part in the expedition against England, but returned after the battle of Hastings to his hereditary estates, leaving a son in the conquered country, who became chamberlain to Henry I., and whose son, Richard, assumed the surname of Chamberlain from his office." 1

Early History of the Chamberlayne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chamberlayne research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1616, 1666, 1703 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Chamberlayne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chamberlayne Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Chamberlayne, some of which include Chamberland, Chambellain, Chamberlan, Chamberlain, Chambellan, Chambellayn, Chambelain, Chamberlayne, Chamberlaine, Chamberllayne, Chamberlayn, Chamberleine, Chamberlane, Chambelan, Chambelane, Chambelaine and many more.

Early Notables of the Chamberlayne family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Sir Thomas Chamberlayne, knight, one time English ambassador in the Low Countries

Chamberlayne migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Chamberlayne surname were

Chamberlayne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Chamberlayne, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 2
Thomas Chamberlayne, who landed in Virginia in 1675 2

Chamberlayne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Chamberlayne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Chamberlayne, aged 27, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
Clara Chamberlayne, aged 22, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Chamberlayne (post 1700) +

William Chamberlayne, English owner of a large estate at Weston, Southampton in the 1800s; his family traces back to the 15th century in that area
Thomas Chamberlayne (1805-1876), English cricketer, yachtsman and politician, High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1833; his yacht the Arrow, took part in the inaugural America's Cup race in 1851
Tankerville Chamberlayne (1843-1924), English landowner in Hampshire and politician, Member of Parliament for Southampton

The Chamberlayne 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: Virtuti nihil invium
Motto Translation: Nothing is impervious to valour.

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)