Middlehurst is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Middlehurst family lived in the middle of a wooded area having derived from the Old English words midel, which means middle, and hyrst, which means wooded hill.
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Early Origins of the Middlehurst family
The surname Middlehurst was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Middlehurst. Although this name or manor does not appear in the Domesday Book, 1 a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy in 1086 after his conquest of England at Hastings in 1066, conjecturally the family are descended from the holder of Appleton, Osbern FitzTazzo, a Norman noble who held those lands in 1086.
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Early History of the Middlehurst family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Middlehurst research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1402 is included under the topic Early Middlehurst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Middlehurst Spelling Variations
Norman 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 Midlehurst, Middlehurst, Middlehirst and many more.
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Early Notables of the Middlehurst family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
Middlehurst of Cheshire
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Migration of the Middlehurst family
Many 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 Middlehurst or a variant listed above: Richard Midlehurst landed in North America in 1702.
Contemporary Notables of the name Middlehurst (post 1700)
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Gary Middlehurst (b. 1983), English rugby league footballer
Tom Middlehurst (b. 1936), Welsh Labour Party politician, Minister for Post-16 Education and Training (1999-2000)
England
