Show ContentsFevershen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Fevershen family

The surname Fevershen was first found in Kent at Faversham, a market town and civil parish in the Swale district which dates back to 811 when it was first listed as Fefresham. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the town was known by the modern spelling of Faversham and Faversaham. At that time, Faversaham consisted of 2 salt houses, a mill and was a market town. Nearby was Faversham Abbey, a Cluny style monastery immediately to the north-east of the town. It was founded by King Stephen and his queen, Matilda I of Boulogne, in 1148. The Abbey was the burial place of the founding king and queen. The Abbey was dissolved in 1538 and subsequently most of it was demolished. The Abbey Guest House has survived and it now a private residence. The place name literally means "homestead or village of the smith" from the Old English words faefer + ham. 1

Early History of the Fevershen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fevershen research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1463, 1465 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Fevershen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fevershen Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Feversham, Faversham and others.

Early Notables of the Fevershen family

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

Migration of the Fevershen family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Fevershen name or one of its variants: settlers, who were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled on the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Boston, to Virginia, to Florida, and to the islands..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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