Niceley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Niceley family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found 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 Niceley family

The surname Niceley 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 Niceley family

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

Niceley 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 Niceley include Knowsley, Knowesley, Knowsly, Knowslie, Nicely and many more.

Early Notables of the Niceley family

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

Migration of the Niceley 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 Niceley 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.

Contemporary Notables of the name Niceley (post 1700) +

T. J. Niceley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1940 3

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.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html