Gantlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestry of the name Gantlett dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the village of Cantley in either the counties of Norfolk or Yorkshire. Both parishes date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were known as Cantelai (in Norfolk) and Canatela (South Yorkshire.) 1

Early Origins of the Gantlett family

The surname Gantlett was first found in Norfolk, where Wimer de Cantele was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1198. 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include Rogerus de Cantelay as holding lands there at that time. 3A very rare name the next entry we found was in 1581 where Peter Cantley was listed as a Freeman of York. 2

In Scotland, the family is from "the Yorkshire place of the name. William Cantuli was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1452, and William Cantuly or Cantuli held land there before 1497. Andrew Cantly was admitted burgess in 1508. Master John Cantly or Cantely appears as archdeacon of St. Andrews, 1524 ant 1541. Gilbert Cantlie, witness in Shetland, 1626." 4

Early History of the Gantlett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gantlett research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1198, 1379, 1452, 1500, 1581, 1626, 1790, 1797, 1806 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Gantlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gantlett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Gantlett have been found, including Cantlay, Cantley, Cantele, Cantelay, Cantuli, Cantlie, Gantlet, Gantley and many more.

Early Notables of the Gantlett family

Notables of the family at this time include John Cantley, the Archdeacon of St. Andrews in Scotland in the early 1500s, and Sir Proby Thomas Cantley, a lieutenant-colonel in the Bengal artillery and director of the Ganges Canal who was knighted in 1854.Henry John Gauntlett, eldest son of the Rev. Henry Gauntlett, was born in...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gantlett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gantlett migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Gantlett, or a variant listed above:

Gantlett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Gantlett, who landed in Virginia in 1652 5

Gantlett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Gantlett, who landed in Virginia in 1702 5

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)