The name Kamrey reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Kamrey family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Kamrey family lived in Leicestershire. The family name, though, is a reference to the area of Cambrai, near Falaise, in Normandy. Originally erected in the 6th century as the Diocese of Cambrai, its jurisdiction was immense and included even Brussels and Antwerp.
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Early Origins of the Kamrey family
The surname Kamrey was first found in Leicestershire, where Godridius (Geoffroi) de Chambrai was awarded estates in return for his service to William the Conqueror. Wace, the Norman poet, mentions Cil de Combrai as one of the knights who challenged King Harold to come forth at Senlac in 1066 and this is probably a reference to Geoffroi de Cambrai.
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Early History of the Kamrey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kamrey research. Another 248 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1199, 1203, 1273, 1500, 1664, 1701, 1798 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Kamrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Kamrey Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Cambrey, Cambray, Cambrai, Combray, Cambreye, Camray and many more.
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Early Notables of the Kamrey family
More information is included under the topic Early Kamrey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Kamrey family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Kamrey name or one of its variants: Joseph Cambrey who arrived in Philadelphia in 1847.
England
