Nightley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Nightley comes from when the family resided in the village of Knightly. Nightley is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Nightley family

The surname Nightley was first found in Staffordshire where "the first recorded ancestor of this ancient family is Rainald, mesne lord of Knightley, under Earl Roger, in the time of William the Conqueror, as appears by Domesday Book." 1 "Fawsley Hall, co. Northampton, the seat of the present Baronet, was acquired by purchase, temp. Henry V." 2 "This place, which lies in the western portion of the county, bordering upon Warwickshire, has since the time of Henry V. been in the possession of the Knightley family. The extensive mansion of Fawsley Park, the residence of Sir Charles Knightley, Bart., is situated on a gently elevated lawn, commanding a rich expanse of wood and fertile pasturage, enlivened by three fine sheets of water. " 3

Early History of the Nightley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nightley research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1533, 1615, 1617, 1626, 1639 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Nightley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nightley Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Nightley has been recorded under many different variations, including Knightley, Knightly and others.

Early Notables of the Nightley family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Richard Knightley (1533-1615) Sheriff of Northamptonshire who was involved in the proceedings which led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Richard Knightley (died 1639), an English Member of Parliament (MP), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1626

Migration of the Nightley family to Ireland

Some of the Nightley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nightley family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Nightley or a variant listed above: Walter Knightly who sailed to Barbados in 1683 and Thomas Knightly to America in 1759.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.