Stansberry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Stansberry. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Stansberry family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Stansberry is a local type of surname and the Stansberry family lived at the manor of Stanbury in Morwinstowe, Cornwall. The name could have from an Old English woman's name for Stanburh 'stone-fortress' 1 or literally meant "the fort or defence of stone." 2

Early Origins of the Stansberry family

The surname StansBerry was first found in Essex where the first record of the family was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Stamburc was listed. 3

Later in Cornwall, they held a family seat from very ancient times, as Lords of the manor of Stanbury in Morwinstowe. "The manor of Stanbury (which formerly belonged to an ancient family of this name,) was the birth place of Richard Stanbury, who was Bishop of Hereford, and died so early as 1471. In the fifteenth century, it was carried in marriage by an heiress of this family to the Mannings." 4

Stanbury is common in Devon where it is probably from Stanborough. 5 The Lancashire Stanbury is from Stanbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire." 1

"Both may have contributed, but looking at the directories it is clear that Devonshire holds the first place as parent." 6

A very rare name in early rolls; we did however find Alan Stanborw in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cheshire in 1279 1 and later, Thomas de Staynburghe in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 6

Early History of the Stansberry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stansberry research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1446, 1448, 1453, 1474, 1670, 1704, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1712, 1714, 1720, 1772 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Stansberry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stansberry Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Stanbury, Stanberie, Standborough, Stanborough, Stanbrough, Stanberry, Stanburry, Stansbury, Stainsbury and many more.

Early Notables of the Stansberry family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Stanberry (or Stanbury) (died 1474), English medieval Bishop of Bangor (1448-1453) and Bishop of Hereford (1453-1474.) He was second son of Walter Stanbury of Morwenstow, Cornwall, by his wife Cicely. He entered the Carmelite order, and was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, whence he graduated D.D. (Boase, Reg. Coll. Exon. pp. lxix, 367). He subsequently gained great reputation by his lectures at Oxford, and before 1440 he became confessor to Henry VI. In that year he was nominated first provost of Eton College, in the foundation of which he had advised Henry...
Another 114 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stansberry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stansberry Ranking

In the United States, the name Stansberry is the 4,917^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

StansBerry migration to the United States +

An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Stansberry or a variant listed above:

Stansberry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bessie Stansberry, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1896
Robert Stansberry, aged 1, who settled in America, in 1896
G. F. Stansberry, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States, in 1897

Contemporary Notables of the name StansBerry (post 1700) +

James W. Stansberry (1927-2010), American Lieutenant General and commander of the Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2), Air Force Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal
Joe Stansberry (b. 1956), American professional golfer
Craig Leo Stansberry (b. 1982), American Major League Baseball third baseman
Stephen E. Stansberry, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Willmar, Minnesota, 1894-99 8
Andrew II Stansberry, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for supervisor of Benton Township, Michigan, 2010 8

Historic Events for the StansBerry family +

Fraterville mine

Mr. David H. Stansberry (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 9
Mr. Lewis Stansberry (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 9

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).