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![Show Contents]() Balet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England France
Early Origins of the Balet familyThe surname Balet was first found in Suffolk 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 Coddenham, held by Ralph de Limesy, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Balet familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balet research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1542 and 1560 are included under the topic Early Balet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Balet Spelling VariationsA multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Ballet, Ballett, Ballette, Bailet, Baillet, Baillett and many more. Early Notables of the Balet family (pre 1700)More information is included under the topic Early Balet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Balet familyMany English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Balet or a variant listed above: Richard Ballet, who was naturalized in Pennsylvania in 1842; as well as Thomas Ballet, who was on record in Philadelphia in 1872.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Balet (post 1700) | + |
- Estelle Balet (1994-2016), Swiss Freeride snowboarder and World Champion in 2015 and 2016 at the Freeride World Tour; she died in an avalanche while snowboarding in Orsieres
- 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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