Blance History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Blance family name dates back to 1066 when the Norman Conquest of England introduced a plethora of new names and words into Britain. It comes from an early member of the family who was a person who was fair haired or pale or white of complexion. The name stems from the Old French word blanc, which means white.

The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae includes entries for William Blanc and Robert and John Blanche in Normandy, 1180-1195, confirming the Norman origin of the family. 1

Early Origins of the Blance family

The surname Blance was first found in Northamptonshire at Peterborough Castle where Blanche of England, LG (1392-1409), also known as Blanche of Lancaster, was an English princess of the House of Lancaster. She was the sixth of the seven children born during the marriage of Prince Henry of Lancaster and his wife. Her brother, Henry of Monmouth would later become King Henry V of England.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on a phonetic appreciation of the names.

The Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire list Alexander Blanche in 1208 and the same rolls but for Oxfordshire, list Matilda Blaunche in 1270. Thomas Blanch was found in Colchester in 1312 and later Matilda Blanache was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: John Blannche, Huntingdonshire; Elianora Blanche, Cambridgeshire; and Henry Blanche, Oxfordshire. 3

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III includes an entry for Clement Blaunche, Warwickshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign) and the Close Rolls have entry for John Blanche, 2 Edward IV. 3

Early History of the Blance family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blance research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1503, 1592, 1649, 1710, 1713, 1716 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Blance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blance Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Blanch, Blanche, Blanck, Blank, Blance, Blanx and others.

Early Notables of the Blance family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas and Matthew Blanche of the Shetlands; Thomas Blanck, Lord Mayor of London.John Blanch (c. 1649-1725), of Wotton Court, near Gloucester and Eastington, Gloucestershire, was an English politician, Member (MP) of the Parliament of Great Britain for Gloucester from 1710...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blance migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blance or a variant listed above:

Blance Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

E Blance, aged 32, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1852 4

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)