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The Aylett surname apears to originate in west Essex with an overlap into east Herts and later expansion into Kent and Cambridge. It is thus very geographically specific and had led various people of this name to wonder if they were all descended from an original common Aylett ancestor.
DNA testing is providing a new approach to some of the most difficult questions in family history. By testing the DNA of the Y-chromsome in a male subject, it is possible to say something about the subject's remote male ancestors. This is because Y-chromosome DNA passes from father to son unaltered except for small mutations that develop over time.
Thus Y-chromosome testing might shed some light on some specific questions concerning Aylett origins if a sample of current male Ayletts could be tested, especially if they were male Ayletts about whose family line we already have conventional information.
According to Morant's 'History and Antiquities of Essex', published in the 1760s, and drawing on a Pipe Rolls entry, the first Aylett was a man called Boiden Ailet, a Flemish mercenary (from Brabant), who came to England
DNA testing is providing a new approach to some of the most difficult questions in family history. By testing the DNA of the Y-chromsome in a male subject, it is possible to say something about the subject's remote male ancestors. This is because Y-chromosome DNA passes from father to son unaltered except for small mutations that develop over time.
Thus Y-chromosome testing might shed some light on some specific questions concerning Aylett origins if a sample of current male Ayletts could be tested, especially if they were male Ayletts about whose family line we already have conventional information.
According to Morant's 'History and Antiquities of Essex', published in the 1760s, and drawing on a Pipe Rolls entry, the first Aylett was a man called Boiden Ailet, a Flemish mercenary (from Brabant), who came to England
in the late 12th century (1174) and was given land in Bradwell, East Essex by Henry II. This followed Henry II's recruitment Brabant mercenaries in his wars against his sons. Morant cites the opinion of Ayletts of the 18thC, but does not reference his sources any more precisely for a descent from Boiden.
However there are a number of quite different theories. One is based on the Dictionary of English Names, which derives Aylett from Aethelgyth, a female Saxon first name apparently meaning 'Noble Battle'. A second theory holds that Aylett is a Cornish name and that an Aylett came over with William the Conqueror. This seems really improbable as even in the mobile 20thC there are practically no Ayletts in Cornwall (and half the country believes their ancestors came over with William).
Finally, there is a theory that Ayletts come from Yorkshire and were based at Hague Hall, with estates at South Kirby . This only makes sense if you believe that the Yorks/Derbyshire name Allat is from the same root as Aylett (and note there is also Allit in Lincolnshire). While Aylett is sometimes spelt Allat or Allet in pre-standardised spelling days, Ailet is a more common varient, and there are already plenty of Ayletts in Essex and Herts in the early 16thC. Modern families all seem traceable back to one of these counties. Morant mentions a Richard Eyelotte as having appeared in an Essex return in 1433 expressing loyalty to the Crown - though again, nobody seems to have traced an Aylett family back to him.
It may (or may not) be significant that there is a French surname Aillet, though this seems to derive from the western end of the Loire rather than from the east where Brabant used to lie, though there is evidence that the Brabant mercenaries did march that way when they came to Brittany from italy to support Henry II. And whether connected with this name or not, I found the following in a gloassary of cooking terms:Aillet: shoot of mild winter baby garlic, a speciality of the Poitou-Charentes region along the Atlantic coast.
However there are a number of quite different theories. One is based on the Dictionary of English Names, which derives Aylett from Aethelgyth, a female Saxon first name apparently meaning 'Noble Battle'. A second theory holds that Aylett is a Cornish name and that an Aylett came over with William the Conqueror. This seems really improbable as even in the mobile 20thC there are practically no Ayletts in Cornwall (and half the country believes their ancestors came over with William).
Finally, there is a theory that Ayletts come from Yorkshire and were based at Hague Hall, with estates at South Kirby . This only makes sense if you believe that the Yorks/Derbyshire name Allat is from the same root as Aylett (and note there is also Allit in Lincolnshire). While Aylett is sometimes spelt Allat or Allet in pre-standardised spelling days, Ailet is a more common varient, and there are already plenty of Ayletts in Essex and Herts in the early 16thC. Modern families all seem traceable back to one of these counties. Morant mentions a Richard Eyelotte as having appeared in an Essex return in 1433 expressing loyalty to the Crown - though again, nobody seems to have traced an Aylett family back to him.
It may (or may not) be significant that there is a French surname Aillet, though this seems to derive from the western end of the Loire rather than from the east where Brabant used to lie, though there is evidence that the Brabant mercenaries did march that way when they came to Brittany from italy to support Henry II. And whether connected with this name or not, I found the following in a gloassary of cooking terms:Aillet: shoot of mild winter baby garlic, a speciality of the Poitou-Charentes region along the Atlantic coast.
More geographically plausible, there is a Lac d'Ailette in Northern France near Laon (not far from Rheims). Ailette means 'little wing', and this could derive 'Ailet' from a place name.