Early Origins of the Knill family
The surname Knill was first found in
Herefordshire where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. 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, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands and village of Knill, held by Osbern FitzRichard, and Norman noble, who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086. Sir John de Knill was Lord of Knill in the 12th century.
Early History of the Knill family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knill research.
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Knill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Knill 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 Knill, Knyll, Knyl, Knil, Nill, Nyll, Nil, Nyl, Knoll, Knell and many more.
Early Notables of the Knill family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Knill Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Knill family to the New World and Oceana
To escape the political and religious persecution within
England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Knill or a variant listed above:
Knill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Charles Knill, who settled in New England in 1633
- John Knill, who arrived in Virginia sometime between 1654 and 1663
- John Knill, who settled in Virginia in 1654
Knill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Robert Knill, who settled in New York in 1856
Knill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Elizabeth Knill, who was on record in Ontario in 1871
Contemporary Notables of the name Knill (post 1700)
- H. Charles Knill, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 7th District, 1962 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Dennis Knill, American Democrat politician, Candidate for President of the United States, 2012 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Richard Knill (1787-1857), English dissenting minister and author from Braunton, Devon
- John Knill (1733-1811), Cornish eccentric mayor of St Ives, Cornwall who had built his own memorial before his death with strict instructions on its upkeep
- Alan Richard Knill (b. 1964), former soccer manager of English League One side Rotherham United
Historic Events for the Knill family
- Mr. Arthur Knill, British Cook from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and survived the sinking [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
- Mr. George Knill, English Scullery man from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania and survived the sinking [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/