Our ancestors named Kniveton or Kniffen lived in a settlement in Derbyshire, England called Knifton many years ago. I have been able to trace our Kniveton line back to the 1500s. Below is a brief history of the location:
"In Old English, Knifton meant "Knight's Settlement" In those days a knight was a servant. Ton = fence, enclosure, homestead. Kniveton in Derbyshire, is a pretty, grey stone village sheltered in a deep hollow on the slope of Madge Hill. There is a charming little church with a nave, chancel, and a tower. (Church of St. Michael) The tower was built in the 13th century. It is unbuttressed and has small lancet windows, battlements, and a short spire. The medieval glass in the chancel depicts the arms of the family Kniveton. It was Lady Frances Kniveton who gave the altar its lovely flagon and chalice in 1572. Sir Andrew Kniveton became so impoverished through his loyalty to Charles the First that he had to sell most of the family estates. The church also contains a 13th century font. A huge sycamore tree stands by the gate and an ancient yew guards the doorway, which still bears the grooves worn when the archers were sharpening their arrows."
Here is more information about Sir Andrew Kniveton, "A Fortune Lost"...The value of the Kniveton land holdings in 1600 was probably worth about £6.75m today! In total it covered about 2000 acres! Their demise occurred during a lengthy agricultural depression in the mid 1600's. Their tenants could not pay rents so landowners like themselves became swamped in debt.
Sir Andrew at the time of the Civil War of 1642/46 was more concerned with fighting the royalist cause than managing his estates. Sir Andrew sold his estates in 1655 for derisory sums to pay off debt. Other junior branches of the family however survived the economic collapse. Henry Kniveton of Castleton, for example, was a successful lawyer and made his fortune (about £1m today) from lead mining.
Kniveton Mansion is on Pethills Lane, known as Kniveton Hall. In recent years it has been the village post office." [I wasn't able to make a copy of the Hall for our blog, but it is an attractive large building. Type "Kniveton Hall" and it will appear onscreen plus a Google map.]
Our seventh great grandfather, George Kniveton or Kniffen was born in 1632 at Poss, Kniveton, Derbyshire, England. His wife, Rebecca Mary Whelpley was also born in Poss, in 1644. They were married in Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut about 1660. They had the following children, most of the them born in Rye, Westchester, New York:
1660 George
1661 Hannah
1662 Joseph
1663 Mary
1668 Samuel
1670 George
1672 Ebenezer
1675 Jonathan, our ancestor
1680 Samuel
1680 Nathan
unk Deborah
The family lived in Rye, Westchester, New York after a short residence in Fairfield, Connecticut.
GEORGE KNIVETON/KNIFFEN
BORN: 1632 in Poss, Kniveton, Derbyshire, England
MARRIED: abt 1660 in Stratford, Fairfield, CT
DIED: 1694 in Rye, Westchester, NY
REBECCA MARY WHELPLEY
BORN: 1644 in Poss, Kniveton, Derbyshire, England
DIED: aft 1694 in Rye, Westchester, NY
SOURCES: Histories about Kniveton, England, Wikipedia; Births: Legacy NFS; Deaths: Find-A-Grave Index.
