Knowltone is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Knowltone family lived in the township of Knowlton, Kent, from whence their name is taken.
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Early Origins of the Knowltone family
The surname Knowltone was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were granted the lands by King William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were conjecturally descended from Thurstan, a Norman noble, who held the lands of Knowlton, originally spelt Chenoltone, from the Bishop of Bayeux.
Early History of the Knowltone family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knowltone research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1728 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Knowltone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Knowltone Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Knowltone, Knowlten, Nowlton, Nolton, Knowelden and others.
Early Notables of the Knowltone family
Thomas Knowlton (1692-1782), English gardener and botanist who was superintendent at an early age of Dr. Sherard at Eltham, Kent. By 1728, he had entered the service to... Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Knowltone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Knowltone family
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Knowltone or a variant listed above were: Thomas Knowlton settled in Hingham Massachusetts in 1630; T. and N. Knowlton arrived in San Francisco in 1851; James Nolton settled in Potomac Maryland in 1731.
