Eastbourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Eastbourne family

The surname Eastbourne was first found in Yorkshire in the West Riding 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 village and lands of Eastburn, held by Gilbert de Tison, a Norman baron, from the King, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Eastbourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eastbourne research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1304 are included under the topic Early Eastbourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eastbourne 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 Eastburn, Eastbourn, Eastbourne, Estburn, Estbourn and many more.

Early Notables of the Eastbourne family

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

Eastbourne migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Eastbourne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Eastbourne, English convict from Yorkshire, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 2

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855