Doncalfe is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Doncalfe family lived in Yorkshire. One reference suggests that the name could be derived from the localat the dun-croft but this is only speculation.
Loading...
Early Origins of the Doncalfe family
The surname Doncalfe was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, where conjecturally this family is descended on the male side from Drogo de Beuvriere, a Norman knight, who held the village of Ottringham from the Archbishop of York. Drogo was originally granted the castle of Skipsey and was said to have married a kinswoman of William the Conqueror who he killed in 1086, either by accident or design. He fled the country leaving only his descendants on estates in Yorkshire.
Loading...
Early History of the Doncalfe family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doncalfe research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doncalfe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Loading...
Doncalfe Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Doncalfe are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Doncalfe include Duncalfe, Duncalf and others.
Loading...
Early Notables of the Doncalfe family
More information is included under the topic Early Doncalfe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Loading...
Migration of the Doncalfe family
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Doncalfe, or a variant listed above: William Duncalfe who settled in Virginia in 1739; John B. Duncalfe arrived in Philadelphia in 1868.
England
