Congleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Congleton is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the town and civil parish of Congleton in the county of Cheshire. The surname Congleton belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Congleton family

The surname Congleton was first found in Cheshire where Congleton dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cogeltone, land held by Bigod. At that time,there was land enough for four ploughs, and was worth four shillings. 1

By the 13th century, the place was often spelt Congulton and is probably derived from the Old English words cung + hyll + tun, which literally meant "farmstead at the round-topped hill." 2 Baron Congleton, of Congleton in the County Palatine of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created for Sir Henry Parnell, 4th Baronet but bears no relationship to the surname's origin other than both share the same ancestral home. Today Congleton has a population of over 25,000.

Alternatively, the name could have originated in "the old barony of Congalton, in the parish of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. The family, however, may have come from Congilton in Cheshire and given that name to their new possession." 3

Some of the first records of the family were found here, specifically Robert de Congaltoun, who witnessed a charter of Richard de Morville, Constable of Scotland, circa 1162. Later, Walter de Congilton witnessed an agreement between the Abbey of Neubotel and John de Morham c. 1214 and also witnessed a charter of Dryburgh Abbey, c. 1224. Wautier de Congeltone and Mabille de Cungiltone, both of the county of Edneburke, rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. 3

Early History of the Congleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Congleton research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1424, 1430, 1477, 1506 and 1548 are included under the topic Early Congleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Congleton Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Congleton family name include Congleton, Congalton, Congilton and others.

Early Notables of the Congleton family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Congleton, Justice of the Peace for Haddingtonshire

Congleton migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Congleton surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Congleton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frederick Congleton, who landed in America, in 1903
Edward F. Congleton, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1905
Robert Swift Congleton, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Sydney, Australia, in 1911
Isabel Congleton, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
Isabel Mildred Congleton, aged 24, who immigrated to New York, in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Congleton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Congleton Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

James Congleton who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1716

Contemporary Notables of the name Congleton (post 1700) +

Jerome T. Congleton (1876-1936), American politician, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey (1928 to 1933)
John Congleton (b. 1977), American Grammy-nominated producer, engineer and mixer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies