This is a locational surname which derives from the various villages so named found as far apart as Yorkshire, which is the predominate centre, to Devon. The name is normally spelt as either Monkton or Monckton although certainly in the earliest days recordings included forms such as Monketon (see below) and Munkton, Peter de Munkton being a Freeman of York in the year 1278. The name is of Olde English pre 10th century origins, and literally means 'The farm (tun) of the Monk, although in fact it was probably a reference to a farm owned by the local monastery, rather than any specific monk. Given that there are a number of places, the surname is quite rare, although it received international prominence in 1936 when Walter Monckton, later 1st Viscount Monckton, played a prominent role in trying to resolve the Abdication Crisis of King Edward V111. What is certain is that recordings of the surname go back to the very beginnings and include such examples as Henricus de Monketon in the 1379 Poll Tax Rolls of Yorkshire, and William de Moncketon also of Yorkshire in the same year. The name is also recorded in Ireland, the Viscount Galway being a Monckton-Arundel. The original Coat of Arms is from Yorkshire, the blazon being blue, charged with a gold fess dancette. This was granted to Sir Philip Monckton, (1620 - 1679) a prominent Cavalier, Commander of the Yorkshire regiment, and later High Sheriff of the county in 1675. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Monketon, which was dated 1273, in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as 'The hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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