The name Daintree has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in Daventry, a town in Northants (now Northampton). The place-name was rendered as Daventrei in the Domesday Book, [1] a census and survey taken by William the Conqueror in 1086. The place-name Daventry is derived from the Old English personal name Dafa, and means "tree of a man called Dafa, Dafa's tree." It is interesting to note that the pronunciation of the placename Daventry is not as it would appear. Locals pronounce Daventry as Daintree, giving rise to the many variations of this name that are found. Another source has a different understanding about the origin of the place name. "The British name of this place, Dwy-Avon-Tre, 'the town of two Avons,' from which its present appellation is derived, originated in its situation between the source of the river Leam, which falls into the Western Avon, and the river Nene, anciently styled the Aufona. " [2]
The surname Daintree was first found in Northampton at Daventry, a market-town, a parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Fawsley.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Daintree research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1296, 1400, 1349 and 1373 are included under the topic Early Daintree History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Daintree have been found, including Daventry, Daintry, Dainty, Dantry, Dantye and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Daintree Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.