The de Montfitchet (de Montfichet, de Mountfitchet) family were of Norman origin, probably from the town of Montfiquet, and were descended from Robert Gernon, Duke of Boulogne, who arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066. He received land in Essex in reward for his service and the family were subsequently based there, initially in the castle at Stansted Mountfitchet. They lasted for five generations before becoming extinct when Richard de Montfichet died without issue in 1258.
Amongst their accomplishments, the family founded Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which became the fifth largest in England. The links with the area were preserved even after the family disappeared, and the de Montfitchet Coat of Arms figured in the insignia of the County Borough of West Ham and Monfichet Road in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford is named after the family. The nearby district of Plaistow acquired its name when Phillipa de Monfitchet married Sir Hugh de Plaiz.