The chronicles of England reveal the early records of the name Knevett as a Norman surname. They are commonly believed to be French but are actually of Viking origin. The Vikings landed in the Orkneys and Northern Scotland about the year 870 A.D. under their Chief, Stirgud the Stout. Later, under their Jarl, Thorfinn Rollo, they invaded France about 940 A.D., and laid siege to Paris. The French King, Charles the Simple, conceded defeat and granted northern France to Rollo. He became the first Duke of Normandy. Duke William who invaded and defeated England in 1066, was descended from the first Duke Rollo of Normandy.

Duke William took a census of England in 1086, and recorded it in the Domesday Book. A family name capable of being traced back to this document, or to Hastings, was a signal honour for most families during the middle ages, and even to this day. The first record of the name Knevett was found in Derbyshire where they had been seated from ancient times and emerged as a notable English family. They were Lords of the Manor of Kniveton.

Researching such ancient manuscripts as the Doomsday Book (compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror), the Ragman Rolls, the Wace poem, the Honour Roll of the Battel Abbey, The Curia Regis, Pipe Rolls, the Falaise Roll, tax records, baptismals, family genealogies, and local parish and church records, shows the many alternate spellings. They were typically linked to a common root, usually one of the Norman nobles at the Battle of Hastings.

The spellings included Knifton, Kniveton, Knyveton, Knifton, Knyvet, Knyveton, Kniverton, and many more. Scribes recorded and spelled the name as it sounded. It is not unlikely that a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with a headstone which showed yet another. All three spellings related to the same person. Sometimes variations came from family divisions. Others had patriotic, political and religious reasons.

During the 12th century many of these Norman families moved north towards Scotland. According to Lyson's "Derbyshire", the first on record is now an extinct baronetcy. The scion was Sir Mathew de Kniveton who held vast estates in the county at the time of King Edward of England about 1290. However, it is thought that Sir Mathew was descended from a Norman knight, De Knyvet, who held lands in Launceston in Cornwall granted to him by Wiliam the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

He was Lord of the castle and town of Launceston and took up arms against William the Conqueror. As a result he was deprived of his possessions, but they were restored in Derbyshire on his marriage to a daughter of an influential Norman noble, William Dammartin. His descendants took the name of Knyvet or Knyveton. Sir Nicholas Kniveton of Murcaston in Derbyshire married into the FitzHerberts of Norbury in that shire. In 1500 they intermarried with the Farnhams, Lords of Querndon in Leicestershire. Branched to Warwichshire, and also acquired estates at Underwood. They moved to Uphill Lodge in Somerset.

The surname Knevett contributed much to local politics and the affairs of England and Scotland. The Gunpowder Plot is the most famous example. In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, England and Scotland were ravaged by the religious and political conflict. The Monarchy, the church and Parliament fought for supremacy. The unrest caused many to think of distant lands.

The most ancient Coat of Arms:
Red with a blue and sliver diagonal Stripe.

The Crest:
An eagle's head between two wings.

The ancient family Motto:
"in Domino Confido"