Show ContentsDeavenport History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Deavenport was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Deavenport family lived in the township of Davenport, in the parish of Astbury in East Cheshire.

Early Origins of the Deavenport family

The surname Deavenport was first found in Cheshire where they were descended from Ormus de Davenport of Davenport Hall Farm 1 in the parish of Astbury in East Cheshire. He is the first recorded ancestor of the family.

"The Davenports claim precedence among the knightly families of Cheshire, - that 'seed-plot of gentry,' 'the mother and the nurse of the gentility of England,' and are traced directly to the Conquest." 2

"The manor [of Marton, Cheshire] was given to an ancestor of the Davenport family, as a dowry with the daughter of Venables, Baron of Kinderton, in the reign of Henry I." 3

Early History of the Deavenport family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deavenport research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1477, 1566, 1597, 1598, 1623, 1631, 1645, 1670 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Deavenport History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deavenport Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Deavenport are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Deavenport include Davenport, Davenporte, Donarty and others.

Early Notables of the Deavenport family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Davenport (1597-1670), an English Puritan clergyman from Coventry, Warwickshire, co-founder of the American colony of New Haven, eponym of Davenport College, Yale University. 4 Sir Humphrey Davenport of Davenport (1566-1645), was Chief...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deavenport Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Deavenport family to Ireland

Some of the Deavenport family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Deavenport family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Deavenport, or a variant listed above: John Davenport who settled in New Haven, Conn. in 1630; he was first minister there, and an ex Mayor of Coventry, England. Descended from him was William Bales Davenport of Brooklyn. Richard Davenport of Salem, who settled there in 1632. Elizabeth Davenport settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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