Nugent Family History & Genealogy

Summary

One Nugent family researcher has shared the origins of the Nugent Family below. For a complete presentation of the origins and history of the Nugent family, you may wish to consult the Internet site "nugent.fr" or contact "effendi.wanadoo.fr" for more information. Simply put, the Nugent family (according to this researcher) originated in France and subsequently moved into many areas of the United Kingdom. The Nugent family (whose surname man be spelled Nogent, Newgent, Neugent, or Newgant) includes many famous descendants.

History

In 963 in the North-West of France, the Count of Blois and Chartres, Thibault "The Trickster", waged war on the troublesome Norman warriors who frequently stormed into the the rich areas of the "Ile de France", raping and pillaging, before retiring to their safe haven inside the borders of Normandy. With several armies, one of which was headed by a minor noble Rotroldus (Rotrou), the Count was severly beaten by the Norman mercenaries, and had to declare a truce. Beaten, but not subdued, Thibault set up fortifications just across the Norman border, to help prevent future attacks, and gave the control of these fortifiications to his army commander Rotrou. These fortifications, and the town which grew around them became known as Nogent-le-Rotrou, after the name of the Rotrou family which was given control of the area. Some "De Nogent" descendants aided William the Conqueror in his invasion of England, settled there, and their grandsons accompanied Henry II, King of England, to Ireland in 1171. From this time, the De Nogent descendants settled in Ireland, subsequently anglicizing their name to "Nugent", around 1415. The Nugent descendants are often quoted as being of Norman origins, when in fact they were originally hereditary enemies of the Normans, from a nearby province of the "Perche".
The French line of the Rotrou dynasty failed in 1226, lacking a male heir, and the Perche land and titles were confiscated by the King of France. Happily, certain De Nogent descendants developed and prospered in England and Ireland, and maintained a high profile up to the present day (Barons, Earls, Counts, etc). The descendants of this line of the family has many famous members, including several British Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill, Lady Diana, Lawrence of Arabia, and also Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, (and of course the future King of England). The Rotrou family spread their influence into Spain and England, also participating heroically in several crusades, and eventually leaving an indelible trace on French, English, Spanish, and Irish Commercial and Political affairs, over the centuries. One Nugent family researcher has shared the origins of the Nugent Family below. For a complete presentation of the origins and history of the Nugent family, you may wish to consult the Internet site "nugent.fr" or contact "effendi.wanadoo.fr" for more information. Simply put, the Nugent family (according to this researcher) originated in France and subsequently moved into many areas of the United Kingdom. The Nugent family (whose surname man be spelled Nogent, Newgent, Neugent, or Newgant) includes many famous descendants.

Name Origin

The name Nugent stems from the term "Nogent", a name applied to new or developing towns in France during the 10th and 11th Centuries. Nogent is derived from "Novo Gentium" - (New Settlement). There are several towns in France with this name base - Nogent-le-Roi, Nogent-sur-Marne,etc., however the Nugent family stems uniquely from the town Nogent-le-Rotrou, in the county of the Perche, developed as  a barrier against Norman invasions, around 965.

Spellings & Pronunciations

The surname Nugent may be spelled as:

Nogent,
Newgent,
Neugent, or 
Newgant

Nationality & Ethnicity

Location : FRANCE - Originating in a small town called Nogent-le-Château in the County of the Perche (North-West of France, just beneath the Normandy border), but renamed Nogent-Le-Rotrou in the 11th century because of the rising power of the Rotrou Dynasty. The Nugent name (originally "de Nogent") stems directly from the Latin origin "Novogentium" - (New Settlement), used frequently in France during the 10th and 11th centuries.

Famous People named Nugent

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Early Nugents

These are the earliest records we have of the Nugent family.