Athelstone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Athelstone family

The surname Athelstone was first found in Kent where Athelstan or Æthelstan (895-940), was King of the West-Saxons and Mercians, and afterwards of all the English, was the son of Eadward the Elder, and of a noble Lady Ecgwyn. "In all probability he was illegitimate, but by a recognised mistress of noble birth. Born during the lifetime of his grandfather Ælfred, Æthelstan was a favourite of the great West-Saxon king, who gave him as a boy a purple cloak, a jewelled belt, and a sword with a golden scabbard, no doubt to mark him out, in spite of his illegitimacy, as a right ætheling. When the young prince was six years old, Ælfred died. In 925, when Æthelstan was aged thirty, Eadward the Elder died, and the ætheling was at once chosen to succeed him." 1

Early History of the Athelstone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Athelstone research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Athelstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Athelstone Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Athelstone include Athelstan, Athelston, Athelstone, Athilstan, Athilston and many more.

Early Notables of the Athelstone family

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

Athelstone migration to Canada +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Athelstone or a variant listed above:

Athelstone Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Reinholt Athelstone, aged 16, who immigrated to Alberta, Canada, in 1908

Contemporary Notables of the name Athelstone (post 1700) +

Carrol Athelstone Bramich (1893-1964), Australian politician, Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1946

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print