Show ContentsSingleterrey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Singleterrey is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Singleterrey is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Singleterrey is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. 1

Early Origins of the Singleterrey family

The surname Singleterrey was first found in Lancashire at Singleton-in-the-Fylde (Singleton), a chapelry, in the parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness or in Sussex at Singleton, a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Westbourn and Singleton.

The Lancashire chapelry seems to point to the family's origin as in "Singleton (Lancashire) is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and was once the property of a family of the local name" 2 and "a parish in Sussex, and a chapelry in Lancashire. The latter was long possessed by a very ancient family. " 3

The chapelry was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Singletun 4 and in 1185 as Sengelton. 1 The township of Thornley cum Wheatley in Lancashire was once held by the family. "Thomas, Earl of Derby, in the 14th of Henry VII., purchased the manor of Thornley-cum-Wheatley from Charles Singleton." 2

Warton in Lancashire was also an early home of the family. "In the 7th of Henry VIII. the manor of Warton was held by Richard Singleton, of Broughton Tower." 2

Early History of the Singleterrey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Singleterrey research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1544, 1618, 1637, 1640, 1677 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Singleterrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singleterrey Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Singleterrey family name include Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others.

Early Notables of the Singleterrey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert or John Singleton (d. 1544), an English Roman Catholic divine who belonged to a Lancashire family and was educated at Oxford, but does not appear to have graduated. "He became a priest, and for some utterances which were accounted treasonable was brought...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Singleterrey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Singleterrey family to Ireland

Some of the Singleterrey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 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 Singleterrey family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Singleterrey surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Joe Singleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; John Singleton and Henry Singleton, who both came to Virginia in 1651; Grace Singleton, who settled in Virginia in 1653.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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