Monfort History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Monfort was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Monfort family lived in Warwickshire. The name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, one of two places Montfort-sur-Lisle near Argentan in the Normandy district, or Montfort near Pont-Audemer, also in Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Monfort family

The surname Monfort was first found in Warwickshire where the family claims descent from "Hugh de Montfort, son of Thurstan de Basternbergh, a Norman accompanied the Conqueror in 1066, and obtained for his services more than one hundred lordships in Kent, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk." 2

Nicknamed "Hugh with a Beard," he was son of Thurstan de Bastenburgh. His descendant Peter de Montford was one of the most zealous amongst the turbulent barons of the era and after the Battle of Lewes was one of the nine nominated to rule the kingdom, but he later fell at the conflict of Eversham. The direct male line became extinct with his great-grandson, Peter de Montfort who died in 1367 leaving a illegitimate son, Sir John Montfort to carry on the family. 3

Other early notables include: Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester (1165-1218), a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) and died at the siege of Toulouse in 1218. His youngest son, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester (c. 1208-1265), led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-1264, and subsequently became de facto ruler of England. He and his eldest son Sir Henry de Montfort were killed on 4 August 1265 at the Battle of Evesham. 4

Early History of the Monfort family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Monfort research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1282, 1283, 1285, 1294, 1664 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Monfort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Monfort 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 Montfort, Montford, Mountford, Mountfort and others.

Early Notables of the Monfort family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William de Montfort (also Mountfort), an English medieval Canon law jurist, Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1282-1283), Dean of St Paul's...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Monfort Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Monfort Ranking

In France, the name Monfort is the 1,287^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,391 people with that name. 5

Monfort migration to the United States +

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 Monfort or a variant listed above:

Monfort Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edwin Monfort, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 6

Monfort Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ferdinand Monfort, aged 24, who settled in America from London, England, in 1911
Henry A. Monfort, aged 58, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
Francois Marie Monfort, aged 40, who landed in America from Guenarec, France, in 1918
Jules Monfort, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1919
Louis Monfort, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Monfort (post 1700) +

Marion Monfort, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1952 7
Isaac Monfort, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Macomb County, 1835-37 7
Franklin P. Monfort, American politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 16th Circuit, 1899 7
Frank R. Monfort (b. 1876), American politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention 19th District, 1907-08 7
Elias R. Monfort, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Cincinnati, Ohio, 1899-1914 7
Charles K. "Charlie" Monfort (b. 1959), American co-owner with his brother Richard "Dick" of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team
Silvia Monfort (1923-1991), French actress and theatre director
Maxime Monfort (b. 1983), Belgium professional road racing cyclist

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html