The name Smailpace was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the name of the great northern family of the Lords of Malpas. The name first became Smalpas and further changed over time.
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Early Origins of the Smailpace family
The surname Smailpace was first found in Cheshire where the name is believed to be descended from the Lords of Malpas, of the great northern earls.
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Early History of the Smailpace family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smailpace research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1585 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Smailpace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Smailpace Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Smallpas, Smalepais, Smallpage, Smallpiece, Smallpeice, Smallpece, Smallpace and many more.
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Early Notables of the Smailpace family
More information is included under the topic Early Smailpace Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Smailpace family
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Smailpace or a variant listed above were: Lawrence Smallpage, who settled in Virginia in 1623; Richard Smallpass, a bonded passenger, who came to America in 1750; John Smallpiece, who came to Maryland in 1671.
England
