The history of the Mottvyn family name begins after the Norman Conquest
of 1066. They lived in Cheshire
at Mottram St. Andrew, a small village and parish that dates back to the Domesday Book
where it was listed as Motre, but later listed as Motromandreus in 1351. The place name possibly meant "speaker's place" or "place where meetings are held" from the Old English motere + rum. CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
More recently, it is home to Mottram Hall, a house built around 1750. Mottram in Longdendale is a village in Greater Manchester. It is one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred
and dates back at least 1242.
Early Origins of the Mottvyn family
The surname Mottvyn was first found in Cheshire
where they held a family seat
as Lords of the Manor of Mottram at the time of the Norman Conquest
by Duke William of Normandy
in 1066 A.D. Conjecturally they are descended from Gamal whose father held the Lordship from Earl Hugh Bigod, the Chief tenant
. Mottram was classed as a Hawk's eyrie at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book
survey in 1086 A.D. The village is now two villages, Mottram St. Andrew and Mottram Cross. There is now a Mottram Old Hall. The name also became Mottershead about the 16th century, branching away but retaining the same Coat of Arms.
Early History of the Mottvyn family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mottvyn research.Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1715, 1688 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Mottvyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mottvyn Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations
. When the Normans
became the ruling people of England
in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Mottram, Mottrame, Motram, Motramm, Motteram, Mottvane, Mottershead, Mottishead, Mottishitt and many more.
Early Notables of the Mottvyn family (pre 1700)
Another 20 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mottvyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Mottvyn family to the New World and Oceana
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England
. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Mottvyn or a variant listed above were: Thomas Mottram and William who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856; Adam Mottershed settled in Virginia in 1698; John Mottershitt settled in Virginia in 1663..