The name Noltey reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Noltey family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Noltey family lived in the township of Knowlton, Kent, from whence their name is taken.
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Early Origins of the Noltey family
The surname Noltey 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 Noltey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Noltey research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1728 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Noltey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Noltey Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Knowltone, Knowlten, Nowlton, Nolton, Knowelden and others.
Early Notables of the Noltey 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 Noltey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Noltey family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Noltey name or one of its variants: 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.
