Fendown History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Fendown is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the region of Fenton. The surname Fendown originally derived from the Old English words Fenne and Tun which referred to an enclosed region by a dyke. There are numerous listings of this local name: a township near Carlisle, Cumberland; a chapelry in the parish of Beckingham, Lincoln; and a hamlet in the parish of Kettlethorpe, Lincoln.

Early Origins of the Fendown family

The surname Fendown was first found in Yorkshire where the Gilbert de Fenton was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls included: Robert de Fenton, Lincolnshire; and Thomas de Fenton, Devon. 1

Ralph de Fenton, was Rector of Warham, Norfolk in 1358 2 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Ricardus de Fenton; Johannes de Fenton; and Robertus de Fenton as all holdings lands there at that time. 1

Early History of the Fendown family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fendown research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1539, 1565, 1601, 1603, 1608, 1615, 1683, 1694, 1726, 1728, 1730, 1754, 1760 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fendown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fendown Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Fendown has been recorded under many different variations, including Fenton, Fentun, Fentoun, Fentown, Fentoune and many more.

Early Notables of the Fendown family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Geoffrey Fenton (c.1539-1608), English writer and Privy Councillor (government advisor) from Nottinghamshire. His brother Edward Fenton (d. 1603), the English navigator, helped discovery the Northwest passage. They were sons of Henry Fenton of Fenton, in the parish of Sturton (formerly Stretton-le-Steeple), Nottinghamshire, and of Cecily, daughter of John Beaumont of Coleorton, Leicestershire. "Like his brother, Sir Geoffrey Fenton, he sold his hereditary patrimony, preferring the life of a soldier of fortune to the prospect of ending his days in the ignominious ease of his ancestral home." 3Roger Fenton (1565-1615), was born in...
Another 314 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fendown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fendown family to Ireland

Some of the Fendown family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 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 Fendown family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Fendown or a variant listed above: Robert Fenton who settled in Virginia in 1606, fourteen years before the "Mayflower"; James Fenton, who purchased land in Virginia in 1623; Henry Fenton, who received a land grant in Virginia in 1638.

The Fendown Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Gwell angau na gwarth
Motto Translation: Death before disgrace.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print