Fountaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Fountaine was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Fountaine family lived near a spring or well which was in turn derived from the Old French word fontane, which means spring or well. Fountaine is a topographic surname, which is a type of surname that was given to a person who resided near a landmark such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

John Pherd (died 1225), Bishop of Ely, properly called John of Fountains, was a Cistercian monk of Fountains, and was chosen ninth abbot of his house in December 1211. 1

Early Origins of the Fountaine family

The surname Fountaine was first found in Norfolk at Harford, a parish, in the union of Swaffham, hundred of South Greenhoe.

"Narford Hall was built by Sir Andrew Fountaine, vice-chamberlain to Queen Caroline (consort of George II.), and the companion of Pope, Swift, and their literary society; he enriched the mansion with a collection of antiquities, paintings, and curiosities, which has been considerably increased by the present proprietor. In the reign of Edward III. Sir Thomas de Narford obtained for it a market and two fairs, long since fallen into disuse." 2

Early History of the Fountaine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fountaine research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1460, 1471, 1554, 1572, 1591, 1600, 1608, 1659, 1660, 1671, 1676 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Fountaine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fountaine Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Fountaine have been found, including Fountaine, Fountain, Fountayne, Fontain, Fontibus, Ffountain, Ffounteyn, Ffunteyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Fountaine family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Andrew Fountaine (1676-1753), an English antiquarian, art collector and amateur architect. He was the eldest son of Andrew Fountaine, M.P., of Narford, Norfolk. 1
John Fountaine (1600-1671), the English jurist, was Commissioner of the great seal of England from (1659 to 1660). He was the son of Arthur Fountaine of Dalling, Norfolk. 1

Fountaine migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fountaine were among those contributors:

Fountaine Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Fountaine, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 3
Edward Fountaine, aged 28, British settler who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 3
John Fountaine, who landed in Maryland in 1658 3
Ralph Fountaine, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 3
Aran Fountaine, who landed in Maryland in 1670 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fountaine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Fountaine, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
James M Fountaine, who arrived in Virginia in 1763 3

Fountaine migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Fountaine Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Fountaine, who settled in Barbados in 1675

Contemporary Notables of the name Fountaine (post 1700) +

George A. Fountaine, American politician, Representative from Michigan 14th District, 1942; America First Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1944 5
Charles Andrew Fountaine CB DL JP (1879-1946), English Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy
Andrew Fountaine (1918-1997), English veteran and political activist
Margaret Elizabeth Fountaine (1862-1940), British lepidopterist and diarist

The Fountaine 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: Vix ea nostra voco
Motto Translation: I scarce call these things our own.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html