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Knowles, O'Knowell, Ó Tnúthghail, Newell
Newell is
Ó Tnúthghail in Irish. This was a minor sept located on the border of the
counties of Kildare and Meath and the name was first anglicized as O'Knowell,
from where the modern Knowles come. As Newill it appeared in the Hearth
Money Rolls for Co. Tyrone (1664). Three Knowles were distinguished in various
branches of literature in the nineteenth century. Three Newells, too, all from
the Belfast area, are noteworthy: one Edward J. Newell (1771-1798) as an
informer, Alexander Newell (1824-1893) was a distinguished scientist and Hugh
Newell (b.1830) an artist of repute in America. Surname explanation: "The name carries us to the gently rising slopes in the woods, grassy and free of timber, the old form of Knowles being de la Cnolle which means of the hill." Also termed as at the knoll or summit. Early French/Norman versions of the surname are:
John was
educated at the court of King Edward
III of England. He ended the War
of the Breton Succession in September 1364 by defeating Charles of
Blois at Auray; he was recognized as duke of Brittany by King Charles
V of France in the Treaty
of Guérande (April 12, 1365). John secretly aided Edward's cause
in 1370, giving the English soldier Robert Knowles a haven in Brittany when
Knowles faced defeat at the hands of French forces. In 1372, after making an
alliance with Edward, John was granted the earldom of Richmond for allowing the
English to garrison his fortresses in Brittany. source:
Encyclopedia Britannica James Sheridan Knowles (May 12, 1784-Nov 30, 1862). An Irish dramatist, James was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer, James Knowles (1759-1840). His best known play was The Hunchback, produced at Covent Garden in 1832. The son of James, Richard Brinsley Knowles (1820-1882), was a well known journalist. Frances
Ann Kemble popular
English actress who is also remembered as the author of plays, poems, and
reminiscences, the latter containing much information about the stage and social
history of the 19th century. She was an even greater success in 1830 in The
Hunchback, which Sheridan Knowles wrote for her. In 1832 she went with her
father to the United States and enjoyed immediate success from her debut in Fazio
in New York. She subsequently appeared also in The
Hunchback and as Juliet to her father's Romeo.
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Copyright © 1995-2012 Clan Knowles™. All rights reserved. No text or images may be copied without written permission. RMK Research Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to Ronald Knowles or Séamus Ó Tnúthghail March 20, 2012
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