Banness History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland

Banness is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Banness family lived in Baynes, near Bayeux, Normandy. 1 Today Baynes is part of Lower Normandy.

Early Origins of the Banness family

The surname Banness was first found in Dover, where Eustace de Bauns, witnessed a charter of William Peverill of Dover temp. William the Conqueror. Lucas de Bans, or Bayons, was from Lincolnshire. 1

Indeed the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Henry de Bayns and John de Bayns in Lincolnshire at that time. A few years later, John de Bayns was listed in Staffordshire temp. Henry III-Edward I. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls had only one listing of the name, Thomas de Baines in 1379. 2 The Assize Rolls of Lancashire listed William Banes in 1246. 3

"The principal mansion [of Littledale, Lancashire], called the Craggs, was granted by the first lord Monteagle to Richard Baines, his standard-bearer, for heroic conduct in the battle of Flodden-Field; and on the estate is a field which the standard-bearer named Flodden, from its similarity to the field whence his fortunes and honors sprang." 4

From about the 16th century, the name was found further north in Scotland. "Alexander Banys had a respite in 1541 for art and part of the slauchter of Schir William Stevinsoune, chaplane, on the Links of Kincrag about nine years before. This name was not uncommon in St. Andrews in the sixteenth century, and Thomas Banis, a bluegown, is recorded there in 1583. Andrew Beanes, flesher in Edinburgh, 1617, and another Andrew Baines was locksmith there, 1676." 5

Early History of the Banness family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Banness research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1219, 1246, 1273, 1379, 1546, 1559, 1577, 1622, 1623, 1660, 1671, 1676, 1680, 1774 and 1848 are included under the topic Early Banness History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Banness Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Banness are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Banness include Baines, Banes, Baynes, Bayns, Baynnes, Bainnes and others.

Early Notables of the Banness family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Adam Baynes (bapt.1622-1671), an English parliamentary army officer and MP for Leeds during the Commonwealth Ralph Baynes (d. 1559), was Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry and a native of Knowsthorp in Yorkshire. 6 Roger Baynes (1546-1623), was Secretary to Cardinal Allen and was born in England in 1546. 6 Sir Thomas Baines, M.D. (1622-1680), was an English physician, the lifelong companion of...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Banness Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Banness family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Banness, or a variant listed above: Alice Baines, who sailed to Barbados in 1680. Andrew Baines sailed to America in 1711; George Baines to Maryland in 1734 and Henry Baines to New York in 1820..

The Banness Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vel arte vel marte
Motto Translation: Either by art or strength.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print