The name Fentalroy comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a defender of the king. Less a nickname than a motto adopted as a name, Fontleroy translates roughly from the Old French as defend the king. The motto would have been rendered Defendez le Roi in French.
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Early Origins of the Fentalroy family
The surname Fentalroy was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
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Early History of the Fentalroy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fentalroy research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fentalroy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Fentalroy Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Fontleroy, Fauntleroy, Fautleroy, Fantlaroy and many more.
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Early Notables of the Fentalroy family
More information is included under the topic Early Fentalroy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Fentalroy family
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Fentalroy or a variant listed above were: James Fontleroy who settled in Boston in 1679; R. Fontleroy settled in Carolina in 1872.
England
