Genealogically sources which are easily accessible on the internet can be very speculative. Many of these websites assume our surname originates from ARTHUR, but in our family tree this is most certainly NOT the case.

Our family  have been living in Suffolk for well over 400 years and this could be longer in view of more recent research.

One thing is very clear that the surname of ARTHUR  in Suffolk is extremely uncommon.  There are very few entries for the surname    Arthur in the 1600s and these can only be found in the East of the County.

 

It should be noted that scribe errors in the 1500s & 1600s were prolific. As you will see there are many variants of the family surnames.

A good example of this is Woodhall Manor, Sudbury 1604-1606. Frequent mention of Thomas ATHIE / ATHEW / ARTHYE. and unquestionably the  the same person .

 

In June 2023 we found at the University of Chicago library,Sir Nicholas Bacon Collection of English Manorial Court Rolls, many references to  the name "Atte Hoo" in Pentlow, Essex, going back to 1301 in the reign of Edward 1st and is the adjacent parish to Stoke by Clare.  This is an amazing discovery as Pentlow fits nicely between Long Melford and Stoke by Clare.  These Pentlow references at the Chicago University run from 1301 and end after 1358.

 

This is what we have found to date :

From the early 1300s we see the demonstrable development of the name from de Hoo & de la Hoo, to atte Hoo. These Pentlow de  Hoo and Atte Hoo are our direct ancestors.  It makes perfect sense that given 100-150 years the Pentlow originators of the name spread out to the parishes around Stoke by Clare and Melford. Please note all these three parishes are very close.  In Foxearth (the adjacent Essex parish to Pentlow) in the 1400s there was quite a large family with siblings and cousins. It is natural that some would move off to nearby parishes.  In Stoke by Clare we found what seems to be a single line of "john's", probably going down from father to son and every indication just a single family. This family had probably not been in that parish for a great deal of time or we would have found evidence of more branches.. They moved to Stoke as a branch from a larger family in Foxearth. Its very evident that the Athoo/Arthure/ Artur family of Stoke by Clare must have been a  completely one off small family, that in these circumstances kept their surname variant. However by the  very early 1600s  it was Athey and eventually the variant changed to Arthy and our other three family variants. of Earthey Earthy & Arthey.

 

So most branches of our ancestors the variant changed to  How & Howe, but the Stoke  by Clare branch went to Athoo, Arthure, Artur.

Note : May be  'At Hoo' version of the surname was seen as archaic by the mid 16th century and the scribes were shortening to variants of Athoo.

 Please note the ATHEY family of Mildenhall, after extensive research are not related to our Family Tree. This

 family tree has its origins in Ravenfield, Yorkshire.

 

 How our family surname variants have changed over the past 450 years.

 These are the four surnames that have remained to the present day​

 By  1754        ARTHY    EARTHEY      EARTHY    ARTHEY               

        1741         ARTHY    EARTHEY      EARTHY                 

        1719         ATTHEY   ARTHY          EARTHEY                                                                                                                     

        1714         ATHEY     ARTHEE         ARTHY                                                

        1691         ATHEY      ATHY     ARTHY

        1673        ATHEY      ARTHEE                                            Boxford

        1663        ATHIE        ATHEY           ATTHIE                     Acton

        1620        ATHEY      ATHYE      ATHY     ATHIE              Acton

        1604/6   ATHIE        ATHEW    ARTHYE                         Sudbury

        1598        ATHEY      ATHYE      ATHY                               Acton

        1589        ARTER      ATTHIE                                              Clare      Marriage

        1583        ARTUR                                                                 Stoke by Clare    Will    Son John Arter

        1578        ARTUR      ARTURE                                            Stoke by Clare   Inn Keeper of The George. 

        1524        ARTER                                                                  Hadleigh   Subsidy Rolls

        1510        John  ATHOO                                                      Stanstead / Long Melford

        1559        John  ATHOO                                                       Hessett   Will   Son John Athoo & son Thomas Athoo

        1491        John  ATTE HOO                                                  Stoke by Clare    Manorial reference below.

        1488        John ATTE HOO                                                  Stoke by Clare

        1487        John ATHOO                                                        Long Melford      Will

        1487       John ATTE HOO                                                   Clare      

        1483       John ATTE HOO                                                   Stoke by Clare

        1477       John ATTE HOO                                                    Foxearth            List of Tenants

        1463        John ATTE HOO                                                   Foxearth             Paid 2d rent

       1392        John ATTEHOO                                                    Foxearth      Paid 3d rent for his land at Crawomod

 11/9/ 1358   John ATTEHOO                                                    Foxearth     Only son of son of the late 

 3/12/1340    John  de la HOO                                                   Pentlow      wife Johanne

        1325       John  ATTE  HOO                                                   Pentlow    Hoe Lane was the home of John Atte hoo

 29/9/1318   John  ATTE HO                                                       Pentlow   Johanne his wife

 19/11/1301  Geoffrey de HOO                                                    Pentlow    John his son.​

​

Manorial references  from the Manor of Erbury  (Stoke by Clare)

1490 -1507  Court Rolls with Stoke & Chilton with Ashen (Essex)

3d Thomas Henny seeks from John ATTE HOO to settle a payment.

19th April 1491  (6th year of Henry 7th)

3d by his pledge John ATTE HOO paid this amount of the aforesaid to Thomas Henny to settle a payment.

   

Other surname variants that have family connections found in 2022

​George ATTHIE 31/10/1588.  Conveyance of premises to John Coleville. 

George ATTHIE 6/2/1589. Revenue or goods paid George ATTHIE seeks from John Colvyle, Gent,to be admitted to manorial premises by settling payments and pledges, by the method of John Doe and Richard Roe,and by the payment of one Cow into the hands of the Bailiff.

      8 MCR John ATTE HOO 19th April 1491.pdf

     9 MCR John ATTE HOO 19th April 1491.pdf

 

Other entries  found :

      Bradfield St George  1471              Benedict ATHOO                                   Son Benedict

      Bradfield Combust    1524             John ATHOO                                           Subsidy Roll

      Cockfield                     1567              Robert  ARTER                                       Marriage.

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Past research regarding similar surname variants.

Suffolk surnames of ARTIS, ARTES, ARTISSE, ARTEYS, ARTISE, ARTYS.   There are 26 Suffolk Parishes mostly to the West of the Count with these Surnames. My researcher is confident that these variants our from completely separate tribes.

Essex surnames of ARTHURE, ARTHUR, ATHAYE, ATHEYS, ATHAY,ATHAIES, are found in the Parishes of Heybridge, Rettendon, Downham, Messing & Bocking.  Again these variants our from completely separate tribes.