Meryet History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsMeryet is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Meryet family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Meryet family lived in Leicestershire. Their name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Marriot in Normandy. While many of the family settled in England, some stayed behind in Normandy as shown by Richard Mareta who was listed there (1180-1195.) 1 Early Origins of the Meryet familyThe surname Meryet was first found in Somerset at Merriott, a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of Crewkerne. 2 This parish was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Meriet 3 and possibly meant "boundary gate," from the Old English words "maere" + "geat." 4 Some of the first listings of the name include: Alric filius Meriet; and Aelric Meriete in 1066 and Aegel filius Mergeati c. 1086. Symon Meriet was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1202. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John de Meriet in Lincolnshire; and Simon de Meriet in Somerset. 6 Early History of the Meryet familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meryet research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1657, 1679, 1695, 1698, 1708 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Meryet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Meryet Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Marriott, Mariott, Marriot, Marritt, Marrot, Marrotte, Mariatt, Maryet, Maryott, Marryatt, Mariate, Merritt, Merriott and many more. Early Notables of the Meryet familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Augustine Marriott of London; Christopher Merret (Merrett) FRS (1614-1695), an English physician and scientist, the first to document the deliberate addition of sugar for the production... Migration of the Meryet family to IrelandSome of the Meryet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Meryet familyMany English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Meryet or a variant listed above: Robert Marriott settled in Jamaica in 1679; Samuel Marriott settled in Virginia in 1774; Henry Marriot settled in Virginia in 1646; Edward Marriott settled in Annapolis in 1758.
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