Stansbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Stansbury history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Stansbury history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Stansbury family originally 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 Stansbury family

The surname Stansbury 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 Stansbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stansbury 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 Stansbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stansbury 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 Stansbury 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 Stansbury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stansbury Ranking

In the United States, the name Stansbury is the 5,179^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Stansbury migration to the United States +

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Stansbury or a variant listed above:

Stansbury Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Stansbury, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1828 8
Mrs. Stansbury, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 8

Stansbury migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Stansbury Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Stansbury, aged 39, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Cheapside" 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Stansbury (post 1700) +

William Brown Stansbury (1923-1985), American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky (1977-1982)
Terence Stansbury (b. 1961), retired American NBA basketball player, father of Tiffany Stansbury
John Stansbury (1788-1814), American officer in the United States Navy killed during the War of 1812, eponym of the USS Stansbury (DD–180), a Wickes class destroyer
John James Stansbury (1885-1970), American Major League Baseball third baseman for the Boston Red Sox in 1918
Tiffany Stansbury (b. 1983), American professional WNBA basketball player
Rick Stansbury (b. 1959), American head men's basketball coach at Mississippi State University (MSU)
Howard Stansbury (1806-1863), American major in the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, best known for his two-year expedition to survey the Great Salt Lake (1849–1851), eponym of the Stansbury Mountains
H. M. Stansbury, American politician, Mayor of Coffeyville, Kansas, 1891-92 10
Elijah Stansbury Jr. (1791-1883), American politician, Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 1848-50 10
E. A. Stansbury, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Passaic County, 1867 10
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CHEAPSIDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cheapside.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html