Singleteray History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe ancient history of the Singleteray name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Singleteray is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Singleteray is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. 1 Early Origins of the Singleteray familyThe surname Singleteray was first found in Lancashire at Singleton-in-the-Fylde (Singleton), a chapelry, in the parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness or in Sussex at Singleton, a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Westbourn and Singleton. The Lancashire chapelry seems to point to the family's origin as in "Singleton (Lancashire) is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and was once the property of a family of the local name" 2 and "a parish in Sussex, and a chapelry in Lancashire. The latter was long possessed by a very ancient family. " 3 The chapelry was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Singletun 4 and in 1185 as Sengelton. 1 The township of Thornley cum Wheatley in Lancashire was once held by the family. "Thomas, Earl of Derby, in the 14th of Henry VII., purchased the manor of Thornley-cum-Wheatley from Charles Singleton." 2 Warton in Lancashire was also an early home of the family. "In the 7th of Henry VIII. the manor of Warton was held by Richard Singleton, of Broughton Tower." 2 Early History of the Singleteray familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Singleteray research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1544, 1618, 1637, 1640, 1677 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Singleteray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Singleteray Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Singleteray include Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others. Early Notables of the Singleteray familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Robert or John Singleton (d. 1544), an English Roman Catholic divine who belonged to a Lancashire family and was educated at Oxford, but does not appear to have graduated. "He became a priest, and for some utterances which were accounted treasonable was brought... Migration of the Singleteray family to IrelandSome of the Singleteray family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Singleteray familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Singleteray or a variant listed above: Joe Singleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; John Singleton and Henry Singleton, who both came to Virginia in 1651; Grace Singleton, who settled in Virginia in 1653.
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