Bonty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Bonty reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Bonty is for a husbandman, or a farmer. 1

The name stems from the Old English/Saxon roots bonda and bunda, which were used to indicate such a person. "There are several persons called Bonde in the Domesday [Book], one of whom is somewhat contradictorily called 'liber homo.' 2 3 Bonde, Bondi, Bunde, Bundi were all listed in the Domesday Book. 4

Early Origins of the Bonty family

The surname Bonty was first found in Norfolk where Albertus filius Bund, Bonde was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1199 and 1202. Norman le Bonde was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire in 1180 and William Bonde was a Knights Templar in 1185. Later, Robert Bunde was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1198 and Henry le Bounde was found in Hertfordshire in 1297. 4

"Ralph de Bonde occurs in Palgrave's Rotuli Curiae Regis of 1199. Robert de Bundy founded Bradley Priory, Leicestershire, in the time of King John. There was a family of Bendys in Staffordshire. 'Shutt-End,' says Erdeswick, 'is an old house, formerly of the Bendys.' William Bendy of Holbeach left two daughters his co-heirs: and another William Bendy, of King's Swinford, was Clerk of the Peace for the county, and died in 1684. William Bondi, of Bedfordshire, and Thomas Bundi, of Shropshire, occur in the Rotuli Hundredorum, c. 1272. Richard Bundy, in 1313, appears in Palgrave's Parliamentary Writs as 'manucaptor of John Pistor. ' " 5

They "have their principal homes in the west of England in Devon and Somerset, and in the east of England in Norfolk and Suffolk; they are also established in Lancashire and Staffordshire. Six centuries ago the name was still to be found in numbers in Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as in the neighbouring counties of Lincoln, Hunts, and Cambridge, and also in Oxfordshire, in the forms of Bond and Bonde." 6

By the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the family were scattered throughout ancient Britain: Emma le Bonde in Huntingdonshire (1271); Robert le Bonde in Worcestershire; and Walter le Bond in Cambridgeshire. The same rolls also had an entry for the name as a forename in Norfolk: Bonde Brit. 7

Kirby's Quest of Somerset had two entries both "1 Edward III" (during the first year of King Edward III's reign): Robert le Bonde; and John le Bonnde. 8

Early History of the Bonty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonty research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1623, 1625, 1633, 1634, 1640, 1656, 1658, 1659, 1669, 1673, 1676, 1678, 1686, 1692, 1695, 1707, 1744, 1747, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bonty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonty Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bonty are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bonty include Bond, Bonde, Bunde, Bundy and others.

Early Notables of the Bonty family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Denis Bond (died 1658), English politician from Dorset who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1656, supporter of the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War and served as president of the Council of State during the Commonwealth;John Bond LL.D. (1612-1676), an English jurist, Puritan clergyman, member of the Westminster Assembly, and Master of Trinity Hall; Cambridge Nathaniel Bond, KS, (1634-1707), of Creech Grange in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, an English lawyer...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bonty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bonty family to Ireland

Some of the Bonty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bonty family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bonty, or a variant listed above: Barnard Bond who settled in Virginia in 1654; Edward Bond settled in 1636 in Virginia; Francis Bond settled in Barbados with his wife, son, and servants, in 1680.

The Bonty Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non Sufficit Orbis
Motto Translation: The world does not suffice.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.