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The Name

Again, I have a lot of research and I need to spend time sifting through and making sense of it all - but here's a bit of info about the name for you. Within the more recent history, the Holy Grail will be to connect the 's' with the 'no s' families, along with discovering the connection to Knightsbridge London if indeed we originated from there. Somehow I have my doubts, as it seems our name is far older than the suburb and was written down well before Knightsbridge, the place. Interesting.

Knightbridge

Between the years 1175 and 1501, spellings of the name included:

  • alex de knichtebrege
  • geoff de knithebregge
  • John Knyghtbrege of Baddow
  • John Knyghtbreg of Waltham
  • john knghtbrigge
  • john knightbridge
  • John knyghtebregg
  • knyghtbrigge
  • nich de knythebregge
  • reg de knichtebrege
  • rob knyghtebregg
  • simon knghtbrigge
  • simon knyntebreg
  • thomas knghtbrigge
  • thomas knyhtbrege
  • william knytebregg
  • nicholas de knyghtbrigge

Knight S bridge

There was indeed a bridge in Knightsbridge: it stood where the main road west went over a river called the West Bourne. ‘Knight’, in earlier times, meant simply ‘lad’, particularly one employed as a retainer. One explanation for the name Knightsbridge is that it was a place where the local yoof hung out, long before those elegant department stores were thought of !

From research, this below is vague, designed to sell, and includes presumptions. For one thing, it mentions knightbridge must have left Knightsbridge in around 1485 to go to Essex, but evidence shows that Knightbridges were there well before then. (12th century in Sandon). Nonetheless it could be useful. It was taken from: www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Knightsbridge

"This is a medieval English locational surname. It originates from Knightsbridge, the former ancient village in what is now part of West London, but in early times was a separate hamlet on the Great West Road between the city of London, and the place of the parliament, Westminster. Being a 'from' surname it is perhaps not surprising that most of the early recordings of 'Knightsbridge' as a surname, are only occasionally to be found in the church registers of London, and much more frequently in the county of Essex. At sometime in the Middle Ages, probably around the year 1485, a family or possibly two families, must have left Knightsbridge, and moved out into the country. There they established themselves at the Essex villages of Great Waltham and Great Burstead, and from about the year 1700 at the village of Doddington. From about 1800 the surname is well recorded in several parts of the county. 'Knightsbridge' is a developed form of the Olde English 'Cnihtebreige' first recorded in the year 1042, and later in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 commissioned by William, The Conqueror, 1066 - 1087. The village name and hence the surname translates as 'the causeway of the knights', however 'cniht' in the pre Norman days did not have the status meaning of a minor noble, but simply described a horseman. Early examples of the surname recordings include William Knyghtbredge of Great Burstead, Essex, on March 25th 1564, Thomas Knightsbridge of Great Waltham, Essex, on June 5th 1569, and James Knightesbridge, a witness at the famous church of St Giles Cripplegate, city of London, on October 8th 1593" 

Knight S bridge - spoken as a town in 1361

This was an interesting read and mentions just that:
wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/A-Brief-History-of-Knightsbridge another refrence can be found here too: www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol5/pp15-28 In that one it also suggests there is a connection between the town and Westminister Abbey and the Monks. Interesting as thare appaers to have been a Knightbridge (NO s) monk at the abbey in 1303.