Markee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The illustrious surname Markee finds its origin in the rocky, sea swept coastal area of southwestern England known as Cornwall. Although surnames were fairly widespread in medieval England, people were originally known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted is extremely interesting. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Lords and their tenants often became known by the name of the feudal territory they owned or lived on. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Markee is a local type of surname and the Markee family lived on a boundary between two districts. Literally the name meant "dweller by the boundary" from the Old English word "mearc." 1

Early Origins of the Markee family

The surname Markee was first found in Essex where "Adelolfus de Merc held lands under Eustace Earl of Boulogne. His estate of Tollesbury was still held by by one of his descendants, Henry de Merk, in 1251. This name, variously given as Merkes, Markes, and Mark, was derived from Marc in Normandy. Geoffrey de Marco and his sons are mentioned by Ordericus Vitalis (591). It is still retained by many places in Essex. There is Le Marck, or Marks Hall, in the parish of Leyton, Mark’s Tay (held under the Mandevilles “from the earliest times”), the parish of Markes Hall, Merks in Dunmow (possessed since the days of the Conqueror), and others. The family was wealthy, numerous, and greatly sub-divided. Aitropus, or Eutropius, and Simon de Merc occur in the Rotuli Curiæ Regis of 1194-98: and the latter is also entered in the Monasticon as a benefactor of Thornton Abbey. He and his son Ingelram held Marks, in the parish of Great Dunmow, of the King in capite of his Honour of Bologne, and had certainly three, if not more, successors in the male line. " 2

Rogerus filius Markes was found in Hampshire according to the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207 as was Robertus Marcus in 1148 at Winton. Simon del Merc was in the Curia Regis Rolls for Essex in 1208. A few years later, Philip Marc was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1209 and later, Robertus Markes was listed in Cheshire in 1288. 1

Early History of the Markee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Markee research. Another 254 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1148, 1194, 1210, 1216, 1226, 1291, 1296, 1459, 1613 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Markee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Markee Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Mark, Marks, Markes, Marke and others.

Early Notables of the Markee family

More information is included under the topic Early Markee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Markee family to Ireland

Some of the Markee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Markee migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Markee:

Markee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J C Markee, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)