Felstead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Felstead family

The surname Felstead was first found in Essex 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 Felstead, (spelt Felesteda, Felstede and Phensteda) in the Hundred of Hinckford, held by Gilbert FitzSolomon from Holy Trinity Abbey in Caen, Normandy. This large village held two mills and a large Norman church.

Early History of the Felstead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Felstead research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1130 and 1203 are included under the topic Early Felstead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Felstead 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 Felstead, Felsted, Fallstead, Fallsted, Fellsted, Fellstead, qaFellsted and many more.

Early Notables of the Felstead family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Felstead family of Essex

Felstead migration to the United States +

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 Felstead or a variant listed above were:

Felstead Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Felstead, who landed in Maryland in 1662 2
William Felstead, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 2

Felstead migration to Australia +

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

Felstead Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Felstead, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. Robert Felstead who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Thomas Felstead, aged 34, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Marion" 5
Thomas Felstead, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Felstead (post 1700) +

Thomas Felstead, English retired professional footballer
Cathie Felstead (b. 1954), English illustrator
Bertie Felstead (1894-2001), British World War I soldier, believed to be the last surviving soldier of the Christmas truce of 1915
A Felstead, who co-compiled the "Directory of British Architects 1834-1900" in 1993

Historic Events for the Felstead family +

Empress of Ireland

Master George Felstead (1899-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 7
Mrs. Louise Felstead (1875-1914), née Last Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 7
Mr. George Felstead (1876-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 7
Miss Edith Felstead (1902-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 7

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARION 1851 - HER HISTORY. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Marion.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html