Westbourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Westbourne family

The surname Westbourne was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor 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. 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 his 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 Westbourne, held by Earl Roger of Winchester, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Westbourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westbourne research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1443 and 1576 are included under the topic Early Westbourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westbourne Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Westburn, Westbourne, Westbourn, Wessburn, Wessbourn, Wessbourne, Westbyrne and many more.

Early Notables of the Westbourne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Westbourne family of Sussex

Migration of the Westbourne family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: settlers were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Florida, and to the islands..

Citations +

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