Origins Available: English,
Scottish
Cromarty is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in
England with the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cromarty family lived in
Kent, where they were Lords of the manor of Tunstall Court.
Early Origins of the Cromarty family
The surname Cromarty was first found in
Kent where they held a
family seat as Lords of the manor of Tunstall Court. 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, Tunstall was held at the taking of the
Domesday Book by Hugh de Port from Bishop Odo of Bayeux as an under
tenant. Conjecturally, the surname Cromer is descended from this source.
Early History of the Cromarty family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cromarty research.
Another 263 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1471, 1509, 1603, 1543, 1532 and 1534 are included under the topic Early Cromarty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cromarty Spelling Variations
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 Cromer, Crowmer, Croamer, Croemer, Croomer, Cromar, Cromere and many more.
Early Notables of the Cromarty family (pre 1700)
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cromarty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Cromarty family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Cromarty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- James Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- Margaret Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- Isobella Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
- D. Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859