Show ContentsKingsmyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Kingsmyle family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found close to or beside the King's mill. Kingsmyle is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Kingsmyle family

The surname Kingsmyle was first found in Hampshire where in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 "Hugo de la Kingesmille 'Hugh of the King's Mill' was one of the jurors who gave evidence during an inquisition touching the manors belonging to that monarch in Hampshire." 1 The same rolls lists Peter de Kingesmill in Wiltshire. 2

Early History of the Kingsmyle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kingsmyle research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1465, 1504, 1509, 1538, 1541, 1549, 1556, 1569, 1605, 1661, 1677, 1720 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Kingsmyle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kingsmyle Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Kingsmyle include Kingsmill, Kingsmell and others.

Early Notables of the Kingsmyle family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Kingsmill (1465-1509), Justice of the Common Pleas; Andrew Kingsmill (1538-1569), English puritan divine from Sidmonton, Hampshire; Thomas Kingsmill (fl. 1605), English regius professor of Hebrew at Oxford; Richard Kingsmill (d. 1677), English Baptist minister and...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kingsmyle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Kingsmyle family to Ireland

Some of the Kingsmyle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kingsmyle family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Kingsmyle or a variant listed above: Richard Kingsmell settled with his wife Jane and son and daughter in Virginia in 1624; James Kingsmill settled in Virginia in 1635.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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