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Information
contained in these pages is intended for genealogical research only, and I ask
that you respect the privacy of those mentioned.
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acknowledge the source of any information used from these pages.
Origin / History of the Knight Name This is a medieval status name from the Olde English pre 7th Century 'criht', meaning boy, youth or serving lad, later extended to mean a tenant bound to serve his lord as a mounted soldier and therefore a man of some importance and substance. Later still, with the changes in the social structure of medieval England, the term 'knight', Middle English 'knyghte', meant an honourable estate conferred by the king on men of noble birth who had served him well. The 'Knights' of today, however, are far more likely to be descended from a servant in a knight's household, or from someone who played the part of a knight in a medieval pageant or won the title in some contest of skill. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to 'develop' often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling, in this case 'Knight' has been found as le Knit, Knyght and Niht.
Coat of Arms / Crest
Over fifty Coats of Arms have been granted to
this illustrious family, one of the earliest being that granted to a Thomas
Knight of Hol, Northampton, in 1546. The Arms are on a silver shield, on a
fesse between three bulls' heads erased black, armed and ringed at the nose,
gold, a fret between two doves of the field.
Click on Surname to go to the Family Sheet
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