Ketlebie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Ketlebie family

The surname Ketlebie was first found in Lincolnshire at Kettleby, a hamlet, in the parish of Bigby, union of Caistor, S. division of the wapentake of Yarborough. 1 2 3

Kettleby Thorpe is also a hamlet, in the parish of Bigby, union of Caistor, S. division of the wapentake of Yarborough a little farther from Glandford-Brigg. "Here is a desecrated burial-ground, where fragments of Roman pavement have been found." 1

Both hamlets back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were collectively known as Chetelbi. 4 By 1236, they were known as Abeketleby and literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Ketil," from the Viking personal name + "by." 5

The first record of the family was John de Ketelbi who held estates here in c.1200-1210. But from this first entry for the family, it seems that for a few centuries, there were no entries found as we must move to 1513 to find John Ketylby in the Feet of Fines for Essex at that time. 2

Worcestershire became as stronghold of the family as the Register of the University of Oxford listed John Kettlebie (1589) and Thomas Ketilby (1604.) 6

The famed English composer, conductor and pianist Albert William Ketèlbey (1875-1959) best known for his short pieces of light orchestral music was born in Aston, Birmingham as Albert William Ketelbey. He added the accented "e" to help people pronounce his name better.

Early History of the Ketlebie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ketlebie research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1041, 1191, 1241, 1396, 1510, 1513, 1543, 1600, 1652, 1688, 1693, 1704 and 1982 are included under the topic Early Ketlebie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ketlebie Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ketlebie family name include Ketelby, Kettelby, Ketelbey, Kettleby, Kettlby and others.

Early Notables of the Ketlebie family

More information is included under the topic Early Ketlebie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ketlebie family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ketlebie surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Kettleby, who came to America in 1767; as well as Maria Kettleby, who arrived in Ontario in 1871.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)