Home   |   Customer Service   |   Site Map   |   Surname Search   |   How To Buy

Shopping Cart
0 Items
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - no headaches!
Share |
Decrease Font Size Text Increase Font Size
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2013

Where did the English Wansley family come from? What is the English Wansley family crest and coat of arms? When did the Wansley family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Wansley family history?

 More

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wensley, Wendsley, Wendesley, Wensly, Wenslee, Wenslow and many more.

First found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor in the North Riding. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. Many of these nobles were from Brittany, under the leadership of Count Alan and his brother, and were Barons who had joined the Duke of Normandy in the crossing to Hastings. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between the Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wensley, Count Alan of Brittany, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.


 More

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wansley research. Another 213 words(15 lines of text) covering the years 1204, 1339 and 1509 are included under the topic Early Wansley History in all our PDF Extended History products.

 More

More information is included under the topic Early Wansley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.

 More

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wansley Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century


  • Joseph Wansley, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813

 More

Popular Family Crest Products
 
Wansley Armorial History With Coat of Arms
Wansley Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
Wansley Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series
Wansley Coat of Arms/Family Crest Key-chain
Wansley Coat of Arms/Family Crest Coffee Mug
Wansley Armorial History with Frame
Wansley Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms
More Family Crest Products
 More

 More

  1. ^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)

Other References

  1. Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1790. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
  2. Virkus, Frederick A. Ed. Immigrant Ancestors A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America Before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1964. Print.
  3. Shaw, William A. Knights of England A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, Ireland and Knights Bachelors 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print. (ISBN 080630443X).
  4. Dunkling, Leslie. Dictionary of Surnames. Toronto: Collins, 1998. Print. (ISBN 0004720598).
  5. Bullock, L.G. Historical Map of England and Wales. Edinburgh: Bartholomew and Son, 1971. Print.
  6. Crozier, William Armstrong Edition. Crozier's General Armory A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. New York: Fox, Duffield, 1904. Print.
  7. Egle, William Henry. Pennsylvania Genealogies Scotch-Irish and German. Harrisburg: L.S. Hart, 1886. Print.
  8. Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 Edited by Samuel Eliot Morrison 2 Volumes. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968. Print.
  9. Reaney P.H and R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X).
  10. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
  11. ...

The Wansley Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Wansley Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 3 October 2012 at 09:24.

©2000-2013 Swyrich Corporation. See Terms of Use for details.
houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation.


Sign Up


100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - no headaches!