Chiverton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Chiverton family

The surname Chiverton was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of St. Paul. "The manor of Lanivet, [in the parish of Lanivet, Cornwall] which was formerly connected with the religious house at St. Bennet's, being separated from it at the Reformation, became shortly after that event, the property of the Chivertons." 1

"Ilton, in Malborough, [Devon] once belonged to the Bozuns, then to the Chiverstons, and finally came to the Courtenays. Sir John Chiverston built the fortified mansion, afterwards known as Ilton Castle, in 1335." 2

Early History of the Chiverton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chiverton research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1142, 1149, 1162, 1510, 1600, 1621 and 1658 are included under the topic Early Chiverton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chiverton Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Chiverton, Chifferton, Shiverton, Shifferton, Chiverlon, Chevedon, Shevedon, Shefedon and many more.

Early Notables of the Chiverton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Richard Chiverton (died 1621), of Trehunsey in Quethiock, Cornwall

Chiverton migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Chiverton:

Chiverton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Chiverton, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1861 3
Herbert Chiverton, aged 2, who settled in America from Isle Of Wight, in 1892
Lucy Chiverton, aged 4, who landed in America from Isle Of Wight, in 1892

Chiverton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frederick W. Chiverton, aged 27, who landed in America from Portsmouth, in 1906
Emily Chiverton, aged 21, who landed in America from Ventnor, England, in 1907
Fred'k Chiverton, aged 22, who settled in America from Selborne, England, in 1908
Richard A Chiverton, aged 30, who landed in America from Portsmouth, England, in 1908
Thomas Chiverton, aged 40, who settled in America from Southsea, England, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Chiverton (post 1700) +

Lisa Chiverton, American actress

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
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)