Show ContentsMouleverer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Mouleverer is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the name Mauleverer, which at the time of the Norman Conquest, was the name of a noble Norman family. They held Maulevrier, near Rouen as their home. 1

"In the Bayeux Inquest 'feodum Malevrier in Asnieres debet servitium dim. mil.' ' Helto de Mauleverer held in Kent in 1086, and 1120 Helto, his son, witnessed the charter of Bolton, York." 2

Early Origins of the Mouleverer family

The surname Mouleverer was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Arncliffe Hall. They are descended from Sir Richard Mauleverer who accompanied Duke William of Normandy in his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. He was appointed master of the forests, chases, and parks north of the river Trent. Allerton-Mauleverer in the West Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient family seat. "This place obtained its distinguishing name from the family of Mauleverer, one of whom, named Richard, in the reign of Henry II. founded here an alien priory of Benedictine monks." 3

"The lands [of Ingleby Arncliffe in the West Riding of Yorkshire] are chiefly the property of William Mauleverer, Esq., the descendant of the Norman Baron who came over with the Conqueror from Normandy, and whose family have continued here since that period." 3

Early History of the Mouleverer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mouleverer research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1640, 1649 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Mouleverer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mouleverer Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Mauleverer, Malouverer, Maleverer, Malleverer and many more.

Early Notables of the Mouleverer family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mouleverer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mouleverer family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Mouleverer name or one of its variants: Jonathon Mauleverer who landed in North America in 1700.



The Mouleverer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: En dieu ma foy
Motto Translation: My faith is in God.


  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook