Cromarty Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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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.

Cromarty Early Origins

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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, 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.

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.

Cromarty Early History

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 Early Notables (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.

The Great Migration

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

Cromarty Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)

Other References

Virkus, Frederick A. Ed. Immigrant Ancestors A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America Before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1964. Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip. Noble and Gentle Men of England Or Notes Touching The Arms and Descendants of the Ancient Knightley and Gentle Houses of England Arranged in their Respective Counties 3rd Edition. Westminster: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1866. Print.
Samuelsen, W. David. New York City Passenger List Manifests Index 1820 - 1824. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. Print.
Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Lennard, Reginald. Rural England 1086-1135 A Study of Social and Agrarian Conditions. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. Print.
MacAulay, Thomas Babington. History of England from the Accession of James the Second 4 volumes. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1879. Print.
Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Markale, J. Celtic Civilization. London: Gordon & Cremonesi, 1976. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Matthews, John. Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book. London: John Matthews, 1911. Print.
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The Cromarty Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Cromarty Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 23 March 2015 at 09:03.