Amphlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Amphlett family
The surname Amphlett was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time.
Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Salwarpe, held by Earl Roger, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. It is believed they were descended from Amfrid by Adeliza, sister of Hugh Grandmesnil through son Humphrey, the Baron Castellan of Hastings who returned to Normandy in 1069. The family were from Tilleul-en-Auge in Calvados or from Amflete, near Boulogne. 2 3
Some of the family were found in Norfolk in early days, as records there show Robert Amflet, Mayor of Lynn Regis in 1516 and William Amflete, rector of West Lexham in 1517. 4 Back in Worcestershire, we found this interesting entry "In 1669 Richard Amphlett sold certain lands in King's Norton to Daniel Greves to hold for 2,000 years." 5
Early History of the Amphlett family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amphlett research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1692, 1704, 1797, 1809, 1868, 1873, 1874 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Amphlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Amphlett Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Amphlett has been recorded under many different variations, including Amphlett, Amflett, Amflis, Amphlis, Amphliss, Amphlet, Amflet, Amfliss and many more.
Early Notables of the Amphlett family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Sir Richard Paul Amphlett (1809-1883), of Wychbold Hall in Worcestershire...
- Richard Holmden Amphlett of Wychbold Hall, Hadzor, near Droitwich...
- In 1873 Amphlett was serjeant-at-law and president of the Legal Education Association...
Amphlett migration to the United States +
To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Amphletts were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:
Amphlett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Amphlett, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1818 6
- Charles Amphlett, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1893
- Harry Amphlett, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
Amphlett Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Elizabeth Amphlett, aged 35, who landed in America from Salop, England, in 1907
- Harriet Amphlett, aged 45, who settled in America from London, England, in 1908
- Andrew Wm. Amphlett, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from Bluefields, Nicaragua, in 1911
- George Amphlett, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Oldham, England, in 1912
- Charles Victor Amphlett, aged 28, who settled in America from Little Hampton, England, in 1913
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Amphlett migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Amphlett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- William Amphlett, English convict from Shropshire, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
- Mary Amphlett, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Amphlett migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Amphlett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Henry Amphlett, aged 36, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
Contemporary Notables of the name Amphlett (post 1700) +
- Tommy Amphlett (b. 1988), English-born association football player who plays for ECU Joondalup
- Sir Richard Paul Amphlett (1809-1883), English judge, the eldest son of the Rev. Richard Holmden Amphlett, Lord of the Manor and rector of Hadsor in Worcestershire 9
- Patricia "Little Patty" Amphlett (b. 1949), birth name of Patricia Thelma Thompson, Australian singer who started her career as a teenager in the early 1960s
- Edgar Amphlett (1867-1931), British two-time silver medalist fencer and journalist
- Christine Joy "Chrissy" Amphlett (1959-2013), Australian singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls
Citations +
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- 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)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019