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Origins Available: |
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The name Neald was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Neald family lived in Berkshire where Willelmus filius Nigelli was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 While this may seem like a stretch form the modern day spellings of the name, we must remember that name entries at this time were in Latin. In fact later, another Willelmus Nigelli was listed in Wiltshire according to the Feet of Fines for 1195. "The name was carried to Iceland by the Scandinavians as Njáll, taken to Norway, then to France and brought to England by the Normans. It was also introduced direct into north-west England and Yorkshire by Norwegians from Ireland. " 2
The surname Neald was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from ancient times as Lords of the manor of Grittleton, pre-Conquest called Grutelington (940 AD) and by the Domesday Book in 1086, the place name had changed to Gretelintone. 1 The parish of Grittleton included the Glastonbury Abbey, one of the richest churches in England at that time. At the time of the Conquest, the lands were held by Urso from the Bishop of Coutance, conjecturally the ancestor of this distinguished family.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Neald research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1641, 1678, 1699, 1743, 1754, 1789, 1805, 1828, 1836, 1845, 1846, 1850, 1857, 1891, 1894, 1895, 1900, 1950 and 1952 are included under the topic Early Neald History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Neeld, Neald, Neild, Nield, Nields, Neelde, Nealde, Neilde, Nielde, Neele and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Daniel Neal (1678-1743), an English historian; Sir John Neeld (1805-1891), 1st Baronet, MP for Cricklade and Chippenham, gentlemen of the privy council, married Elizabeth Harriet in 1845; his son Sir Algernon William Neeld (1846-1900) was 2nd Baronet and Sheriff of Wiltshire...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Neald Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Neald or a variant listed above: