Nightly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Nightly is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the village of Knightly. Nightly is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Nightly family

The surname Nightly was first found in Staffordshire where "the first recorded ancestor of this ancient family is Rainald, mesne lord of Knightley, under Earl Roger, in the time of William the Conqueror, as appears by Domesday Book." 1 "Fawsley Hall, co. Northampton, the seat of the present Baronet, was acquired by purchase, temp. Henry V." 2 "This place, which lies in the western portion of the county, bordering upon Warwickshire, has since the time of Henry V. been in the possession of the Knightley family. The extensive mansion of Fawsley Park, the residence of Sir Charles Knightley, Bart., is situated on a gently elevated lawn, commanding a rich expanse of wood and fertile pasturage, enlivened by three fine sheets of water. " 3

Early History of the Nightly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nightly research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1533, 1615, 1617, 1626, 1639 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Nightly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nightly Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Nightly family name include Knightley, Knightly and others.

Early Notables of the Nightly family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Richard Knightley (1533-1615) Sheriff of Northamptonshire who was involved in the proceedings which led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots; Richard Knightley...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nightly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nightly family to Ireland

Some of the Nightly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nightly family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Nightly surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Walter Knightly who sailed to Barbados in 1683 and Thomas Knightly to America in 1759.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.