The name Graveny came to England with the ancestors of the Graveny family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Graveny family lived in Kent, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.
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Early Origins of the Graveny family
The surname Graveny was first found in Kent where they held a family seat. At the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 by Duke William of Normandy the village of Graveney was held by under-tenant Richard the Constable from chief-tenant, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was customary that when the Normans introduced surnames into England the Baron or head of the family gave lands to his sons or other relatives. To distinguished these branches the offspring assumed the name of their holdings, and conjecturally, the surname was derived from Richard of Graveney in Kent, which at Domesday held manor and four salt houses on the edge of marshland.
Early History of the Graveny family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Graveny research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1230, 1376, 1524 and 1546 are included under the topic Early Graveny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Graveny Spelling Variations
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Graveney, Graveny, Gravenel, Graveneye, Gravener, Gravenor and many more.
Early Notables of the Graveny family
More information is included under the topic Early Graveny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Graveny family
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Graveny or a variant listed above: John Gravener who was recorded as having arrived in Maryland in 1634; and other settlers who established themselves in the United States and in Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries..
