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Origins Available: |
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When the ancestors of the Munkhouse family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Northumberland. Monkhouse is one of several names that find their roots in the Anglo-Saxon terms munec, meaning monk, and hus, meaning house. It may be either local or occupational in origin, signifying worker at the monk's house in some instances and dweller at the monk's house in others. The surname may have also been used to identify one who hailed from any of several places in England called Monkhouse. In some cases the name may also be an Anglicized version of the Norman local surname Monceaux.
The surname Munkhouse was first found in Northumberland where the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the monk-house,' i.e. the house where the monk or monks resided." 1 2.
One of the first records of the family was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Rogerus del Munkhous. Later the Wills at Chester listed Thomas Munkas, of Chorlton, Manchester in 1660. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Munkhouse research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1290 is included under the topic Early Munkhouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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. Munkhouse has been recorded under many different variations, including Monkhouse, Monckhouse, Monkhowse and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Munkhouse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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. Munkhouses were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America: Jane Monkhouse, who arrived in Virginia in 1765; Wm. Monkhouse, who came to Philadelphia in 1805; and James Monkhouse, who came to San Francisco in 1851..