Blenke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Blenke comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a person who was fair haired or pale or white of complexion. The name stems from the Old French word blanc, which means white.

The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae includes entries for William Blanc and Robert and John Blanche in Normandy, 1180-1195, confirming the Norman origin of the family. 1

Early Origins of the Blenke family

The surname Blenke was first found in Northamptonshire at Peterborough Castle where Blanche of England, LG (1392-1409), also known as Blanche of Lancaster, was an English princess of the House of Lancaster. She was the sixth of the seven children born during the marriage of Prince Henry of Lancaster and his wife. Her brother, Henry of Monmouth would later become King Henry V of England.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on a phonetic appreciation of the names.

The Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire list Alexander Blanche in 1208 and the same rolls but for Oxfordshire, list Matilda Blaunche in 1270. Thomas Blanch was found in Colchester in 1312 and later Matilda Blanache was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: John Blannche, Huntingdonshire; Elianora Blanche, Cambridgeshire; and Henry Blanche, Oxfordshire. 3

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III includes an entry for Clement Blaunche, Warwickshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign) and the Close Rolls have entry for John Blanche, 2 Edward IV. 3

Early History of the Blenke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blenke research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1503, 1592, 1649, 1710, 1713, 1716 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Blenke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blenke Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Blanch, Blanche, Blanck, Blank, Blance, Blanx and others.

Early Notables of the Blenke family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas and Matthew Blanche of the Shetlands; Thomas Blanck, Lord Mayor of London.John Blanch (c. 1649-1725), of Wotton Court, near Gloucester and Eastington, Gloucestershire, was an English politician, Member (MP) of the Parliament of Great Britain for Gloucester from 1710...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blenke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blenke family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Blenke or a variant listed above were: Elizabeth Blanche settled in Virginia in 1635; John Blanche settled in Virginia in 1663; Peter Blanch arrived in Philadelphia with his wife and three children in 1791.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)