These are Noyes Genealogy notes from the Noyes family, included in the family genealogy that Grace Noyes Pinkerton prepared. I don’t know the source of the material. I present them as passed along to me.
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NOYES HISTORY
Under James I all forms of worship which did not conform to those of the established Anglican church were strictly prohibited. “Non-conformists” were persecuted. Many fled to Holland and America. James’ son Charles continued this policy.
Passengers on the “Mary and John” (1633-4) sailing for N. England were among the vessels detained in the river Thames by order of the King’s Privy Council. All the passengers were obliged to take the following oath of allegiance before the ship was allowed to sail:
“I doe sweare before the Almighty and ever living God, that I will beare all faithful allegiance to my true and undoubted Soveraigne Lord King Charles, who is Law- full King of this Island and all other his dominions both by sea and land by the Law of God and man and by lawfull succession, and that I will most constantly and cheerfully even to the utmost hazard of my life and fortune oppose all seditions, rebellions, conspiraces, covenants, and treasons whatsoever against his ma’ties Crowne and dignity or person, raysed or sett up under what pretense of religion or colour soever, and if it shall come veyled under pretense of religion that I hould it most abominable before God and man. And this oathe I take voluntary, under the faith of a good Christian and loyall subject, without any equivocation or mentall reservation whatsoever, from w’ch I hould no power on earth can absolve me in any parte .”
“Ordered, 1st, That all and every person aboard their ships now bound for New England as aforesaid, that shall blaspheme or profane the holy name of God, shall be severely punished. end, That they cause the prayers contained in the book of common prayer, established in the church of England, to be said daily at the usual hours, for morning and evening prayers, and that they cause all persons aboard their said ships to be present at the same .” “The names of such passengers as took the oaths of ‘Supremacy and Allegiance’ to pass to New England in the MARY & JOHN of London, Robert Sayers, Master, 24 March, 1633. “
Listed as having taken this oath and being on the ship were Nicholas Noyes and James Noyes. (They came over as indentured servants as it was the only way they could leave England.)
No record has been found of the place and date of the landing of James and Nicholas, but it was probably on the bank of the Mystic River. (When we return…we shall be concerned with Nicholas Noyes as it is he who is our ancestor.)
ORIGIN OF NAME
Some believe it is derived from Noy, a titled English family name, but it is the general consensus that names are shortened and not lengthened.
One of William the Conqueror’s commanders was William Des Noyers who settled in the county of Norfolk where he had large possessions. This information is contained in William the Conqueror’s “Domesday Book” which was compiled around 1086…but in Thierry’s History of the Norman Conquest Des Noyers was stated to have been one of the Barons of the Conqueror.
Rev. William Noyes is the father of our heroes. Now, while the time from 1086 to the time of Rev. William Noyes does not y~eld any regular genealogy, there is scarcely room for doubt that the family came down for 500 years in a narrow region of Norfolk.
The genealogy would look like this:
William Des Noyers, Norman follower of William the Conqueror
* Unknown
Connecting
Links
O. Rev. William Noyes, Rector of Choulderton
The person I gather this info. from here makes the notation that the references are found to be generally correct above except that a reading of Thierry’s History of the Norman Conquest shows William Des Noyers as engaged with Roger Bigot and another Norman in despoiling some English refugees who fled from a neighboring county into Suffold in 1074.
The french reading of the name means “William of the Walnut Trees”.
Some of the lands referred to as holdings of William were formerly the property of Bishop Stigand, who had taking a prominent part at the cornation of William the Conqueror, but was later deposed from his office and dispossessed of his lands, which (were then allotted to Normans…and, we assume, to our William “of the Walnut Trees”.
Stigand was Archbishop of Canterbury and held much property which he was accused of having obtained illegally.
The crest of the coat of arms is a dove with an olive branch in its mouth. (That’s what my information says.)
“There were no Scripture names in England when William the Conqueror took possession; even in Normandy they had appeared but a generation or two before then…from the advent of William the the names of the Normans began to prevail: he brought in Bible names, saint names, and his own Teutonic names…the Noyeses have been quite partial to apostolic names in the past, as their frequency in this volume shows (straight from the book here), as is the rule in many Christian countries…”
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