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![Show Contents]() Knowesly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The present generation of the Knowesly family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the township of Knowsley in the parish of Huyton in the county of Lancashire. In 1086, at the time of the Domesday survey Knowsley was considered a part of Cheshire due to the fact that the county of Lancashire was not created until 1182. The parish of Huyton is also known as Huyton-with-Roby in Liverpool. Early Origins of the Knowesly familyThe surname Knowesly was first found in Lancashire at Knowsley, now a large village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside. More commonly known as Knowsley Village, the village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Chenulueslei and literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called Cenwulf or Cynewulf," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 1 "This place was early held by a family of the local name. It became the property of the Lathom family by the marriage of Sir Robert de Lathom with Catherine, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Knowsley." 2 The oldest Thomas de Knowesley was born in the year 1200 and died in Picardie, France in 1259. His son Sir Thomas de Knowsley, born in 1245 and died in 1259 at the age of 14 had no issue. Early History of the Knowesly familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knowesly research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1182, 1570, 1585, 1586 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Knowesly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Knowesly Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Knowesly include Knowsley, Knowesley, Knowsly, Knowslie, Nicely and many more. Early Notables of the Knowesly familyMore information is included under the topic Early Knowesly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Knowesly familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Knowesly were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Agnes Knowsley, aged 42, who arrived at New Zealand in 1920; Effa Allan Knowsley, aged 20, who arrived at Wellington, New Zealand in 1920; Florence Leonora Knowsley, aged 40, who arrived at Ellis Island from Ranwell, England in 1914.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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