Show ContentsBendebough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bendebough is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person employed as an archer which is derived from the Old English words bend, which means to bend, and bowe which means bow. 1

Early Origins of the Bendebough family

The surname Bendebough was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire, where they family came descent from Benningbrough, a township, in the parish of Newton-upon-Ouse, union of York, wapentake of Bulmer. 2 3

Another source claims "Benbow is the name of an ancient Shropshire family, to which belonged Colonel Benbow, a zealous Royalist, who met his death at Shrewsbury in 1651 for corresponding with the King; from this stock also came Admiral Benbow, who was born, at Cotton Hill, Shrewsbury, in 1650. " 4

Early History of the Bendebough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bendebough research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1349, 1440, 1545, 1585, 1607, 1623, 1653, 1681, 1702, 1708, 1729 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Bendebough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bendebough Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bendebough include Benbow, Bendbow, Benbowe, Bendbowe, Benbough, Bendebowe and many more.

Early Notables of the Bendebough family

Distinguished members of the family include Rear-Admiral John Benbow (1653-1702), whose most famous exploit took place in August 1702 when he kept up a running fight for four days with a French squadron off St Marta in the West Indies after being deserted by most of his fleet, eponym of three Royal Navy ships. The 256797 Benbow main belt asteroid was named after the Admiral Benbow Inn, a tavern in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. His son, John Benbow (c.1681-1708), was an English...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bendebough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bendebough family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bendebough were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Ann Benbow who sailed to Virginia in 1652.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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