Contents [hide]

Verdon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Verdon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Verdon is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Verdon family lived in "La Roque and La Chesnaye-du-Bois [where] both maintain that it had its origin in the county of Mortaine, where one of its branches was of long continuance; yet it is incontestable that in the twelfth century there was a fief of Verdun in the arrondissement of Avranches; and, according to M, de Gerville, the cradle of the family was Barenton, in that neighbourhood." 1

Early Origins of the Verdon family

The surname Verdon was first found in Buckinghamshire where they were descended from Bertram de Verdun, a Norman baronial name from Verdun, near Avranches in Normandy, where they were descended form the Counts of Verdun, and came to England in 1066 and was granted Farnham Royal in that shire. Tradition has it that on the day of the Coronation of William I, he provided a glove for the King's right hand. In 1095 he served as Sheriff of York. He also held lands in what is now known as Alveton or Alton in Staffordshire. 1

"On June 14, 1188, William de Humez, then Constable of Normandy, and Bertram de Verdon, were assessors of the King in a Curia sitting at Geddington. Bertram de Verdon, accompanying King Richard in the crusade of 1190, died at Jaffa in 1192, and was buried at Acre." 1

"The living [of Alveton], before the Reformation, was connected with the abbey of Croxden, to which the benefice was attached by Bertram de Verdun of Alton Castle, in 1176, after he had founded the abbey. The ruins of the castle still remain, on the summit of a rock 300 feet above the bed of the Churnet." 2

Bertram de Verdon or Verdun (d. 1192), was an early English judge, the son of Norman de Verdun and Luceline, daughter of Geoffrey de Clinton, Chamberlain to Henry I. "He founded in 1176 the Cistercian abbey of Croxden in Staffordshire, where his chief lands were. " 3

Theobald de Verdon (1248?-1309), was an English Baron, the son of John de Verdon (d. 1274), and his wife, Margaret de Lacy. "His grandfather, Theobald Butler, an Irish lord, married Rohese de Verdon, only daughter and heiress of Nicholas de Verdon, the last male representative of the Norman family of Verdon. They were lords of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire, of Brandon Castle in Warwickshire, and possessors of large estates in Leicestershire and Staffordshire, where their principal residence, Alveton (or Alton) Castle, was situated, and where also was their chief religious foundation, the Cistercian abbey of Croxden, established in 1176 by Bertram de Verdon. " 3

Early History of the Verdon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Verdon research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1184, 1770, 1780, 1839 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Verdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Verdon 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 Verdon 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 Verdon include Verdon, Verdan, Verdin, Verdun and others.

Early Notables of the Verdon family

More information is included under the topic Early Verdon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Verdon Ranking

In France, the name Verdon is the 2,785^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Verdon family to Ireland

Some of the Verdon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Verdon migration to the United States +

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 Verdon, or a variant listed above:

Verdon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Madelena Jacobs Verdon, who landed in New York, NY in 1642 5
Magdalena Verdon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1645 5
Jacobus Verdon, aged 3, who landed in New York in 1659 5

Verdon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Verdon, who arrived in America in 1764 5

Verdon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Verdon Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. François Verdon, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 26th March 1638 6
Mr. François Verdon, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 6th April 1642 6

Verdon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James Verdon, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sarah Maria" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7
Mr. Thomas Verdon, aged 28 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing 17th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 8

Verdon migration to Australia +

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

Verdon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lucy Verdon, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Coromandel" 9

Verdon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Verdon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Verdon, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Nations" in 1874
Catherine Verdon, aged 20, a teacher, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hurunui" in 1877
Elizabeth Verdon, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hurunui" in 1877

Contemporary Notables of the name Verdon (post 1700) +

Jimmy Verdon (b. 1981), American NFL football defensive end
Gwenyth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (1925-2000), four-time Tony Award-winning American dancer and actress
William P. Verdon, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1920 10
Sir George Frederic Verdon (1834-1896), English-born, Australian politician and public figure
Philip Verdon (1886-1960), British silver medalist rower who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Brian Verdon McCleary (1897-1978), New Zealand rugby player and boxer, member of the All Blacks (1924 and 1925), New Zealand and Australasian amateur and professional light-heavyweight and heavyweight boxing champion
Verdon R. Dunckel, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, 1944, 1956, 1960; Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Hillsdale District, 1948, 1950 11

Historic Events for the Verdon family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Charles Jack Verdon, British Lt R M, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12

Citations +

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
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 59)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 98)
South Australian Register Tuesday 9th January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Coromandel 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/coromandel1855.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html