Kniesley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Kniesley has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the township of Knowsley in the parish of Huyton in the county of Lancashire. In 1086, at the time of the Domesday survey Knowsley was considered a part of Cheshire due to the fact that the county of Lancashire was not created until 1182. The parish of Huyton is also known as Huyton-with-Roby in Liverpool.

Early Origins of the Kniesley family

The surname Kniesley was first found in Lancashire at Knowsley, now a large village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside. More commonly known as Knowsley Village, the village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Chenulueslei and literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called Cenwulf or Cynewulf," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 1 "This place was early held by a family of the local name. It became the property of the Lathom family by the marriage of Sir Robert de Lathom with Catherine, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Knowsley." 2 The oldest Thomas de Knowesley was born in the year 1200 and died in Picardie, France in 1259. His son Sir Thomas de Knowsley, born in 1245 and died in 1259 at the age of 14 had no issue.

Early History of the Kniesley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kniesley research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1182, 1570, 1585, 1586 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Kniesley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kniesley 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 Kniesley have been found, including Knowsley, Knowesley, Knowsly, Knowslie, Nicely and many more.

Early Notables of the Kniesley family

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

Migration of the Kniesley family

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 Kniesley, or a variant listed above: Agnes Knowsley, aged 42, who arrived at New Zealand in 1920; Effa Allan Knowsley, aged 20, who arrived at Wellington, New Zealand in 1920; Florence Leonora Knowsley, aged 40, who arrived at Ellis Island from Ranwell, England in 1914.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.