| ![Show Contents]() Bennefield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The distinguished surname Bennefield is of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin. The name is derived from the Old English words "bean," meaning "bean," and "feld," meaning "field." This name is borne by several places in England, such as Benfield in Northamptonshire, Benville Manor in Dorset, and the now-lost Benfield in Sussex. Thus, the progenitor of the surname was most likely either someone who hailed from one of these places, or someone who lived near a bean field. Early Origins of the Bennefield familyThe surname Bennefield was first found in Hertfordshire, where Goduin de Benefelle was recorded as a land-holder in the Domesday Book. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, King William granted the lands of England to the barons that had served him in the Battle of Hastings. These barons followed the Norman practice of adopting the name of their land holdings; thus, it is possible that one branch of the Bennefield family is descended from Richard, who was granted lands in the village of Benefield, East Northamptonshire. "There are two villages about a mile apart, distinguished as Upper and Lower Benefield, the road from Oundle to Great Weldon proceeding through both." 1 Early History of the Bennefield familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bennefield research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1296, 1381, 1559, 1630 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Bennefield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bennefield Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bennefield has been recorded under many different variations, including Benfield, Benefield, Benfeld, Benefeld, Benefiel and others. Early Notables of the Bennefield familyNotables of the family at this time include Sebastian Benefield (1559-1630), English divine and professor of theology at Oxford University. He was a native of Prestbury (or Prestonbury)...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bennefield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bennefield familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bennefield or a variant listed above: Henry Benfield, who came to Virginia in 1674; Brasil Benfield, who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife Rebeccah and their son Edward; Thomas Benfield, who came to Virginia in 1721.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bennefield (post 1700) | + |
- Jesse Bennefield (b. 1981), Canadian professional ice hockey right winger
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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