Show ContentsVenour History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Venour family

The surname Venour was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where "seven tenants in capite, some of them obviously of Saxon origin-appear under this name in Domesday: Croch Venator in Hampshire; Godric Venator in Wiltshire; Godvinus Venator in Dorsetshire; Ricardus Venator in Warwickshire; Siward Venator in Oxfordshire; Walerannus Venator in Hampshire and Wiltshire; and Wlwi Venator in Surrey. Siward and Waleran are also found among the under-tenants (in Hampshire). These latter add five additional names to this already long list: Gislebertus (also entered as De Venables) Ralph, and Warniund Venator in Cheshire; Robertus Venator in Warwickshire; and Rogerus Venator in Worcestershire and Shropshire. They are all unmistakably Norman." 1 2

Early History of the Venour family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Venour research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1106, 1389, 1432, 1510, 1574, 1577, 1600, 1606, 1615, 1637, 1657, 1660 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Venour History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Venour Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Venour are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Venour include Vennor, Venour, Vennour, Venner, Venor, Vener, Vennour, Venore, Fennor, Fennour and many more.

Early Notables of the Venour family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Vennar or Vennard (d. 1615?), an English author, the younger son of John Vennar of Salisbury, a commissioner of the peace. "In 1606 Vennar was arrested on suspicion of an intention to defraud Sir John Spencer of 500l. on pretence of preparing a masque under the patronage of Sir John Watts, the lord mayor. After that he avoided London, and lived chiefly in Essex and Kent. " 3Tobias Venner (1577-1660), was an English medical writer, was born 'of honest parents' at Petherton, Somerset.Over in the New World, Thomas Venner (d. 1661), was...
Another 156 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Venour Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Venour family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Venour, or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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