Contents [hide]

Hansard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Hansard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Hansard family

The surname Hansard was first found in Durham where "the Hansards of Evenwood, co. Durham, formerly had a seat in the palatinate parliament convened by the bishop of Durham. Hansard is also a provincialism for a bill-hook or hedge-bill. The Hansards of Durham were commonly characterized as the 'Handsome Hansards.' " 1

However, another source claims that Yorkshire was the first record of the family as Gilbert and Roger Hansard were listed there c. 1170 and later in the Assize Rolls for Durham in 1243. In Surrey, the Pipe Rolls there listed William Haunsard in 1230. 2

"The descendants of this Norman established themselves in the counties of York, Lincoln, Lancaster, Sussex, &c. A scion of the Yorkshire branch, settled in Ireland, temp. James II., was represented by the late Richard Massey Hansard, Esq., of Miskin House, Glamorganshire." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three entries for the family at that time: Gilbert Haunsard, Lincolnshire; John Haunsard, Norfolk and John Hasard, Yorkshire.

The "Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I." listed John Haunsard, Northamptonshire, Henry III-Edward I and the source "Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III" included Gilbert Haunssard, Lincolnshire, 20 Edward I. 4

The Close Rolls, 36 Henry III included William Hasard and Alan de Haunsard, taverner, 4 Edward II was listed as a Freemen of York. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, "Johan de Haunsard of Forfarshire rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England] was most probably a descendant of the Hansards of England." 6

Early History of the Hansard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hansard research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1604, 1624, 1631 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Hansard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hansard Spelling Variations

The name, Hansard, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Handsard, Handsarde, Hansard, Hansarde and others.

Early Notables of the Hansard family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Thomas Cornwallis Hansard of London

Hansard Ranking

In the United States, the name Hansard is the 17,746^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Hansard family to Ireland

Some of the Hansard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hansard migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Hansard surname who came to North America were:

Hansard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Hansard who landed in North America in 1764
William Hansard, who landed in Virginia in 1792 8

Hansard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Hansard, who arrived in New York in 1837 8

Hansard migration to Australia +

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

Hansard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Nestor Hansard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anglia" in 1851 9

Hansard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hansard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Albert W Hansard, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
J T Hansard, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842
Mr. Hansard, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lalla Rookh" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th April 1849 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Hansard (post 1700) +

Bart Hansard (b. 1963), American actor, known for Deja Vu (2006), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and ATL (2006)
Thomas Curson Hansard (1776-1833), English printer and son of Luke Hansard, eponym of Hansard, the traditional name of the transcripts of Parliamentary Debates in Britain and some commonwealth countries and the Hansard Society in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy; the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee 11
Luke Hansard (1752-1828), English printer of the Journals of the House of Commons, born in the parish of St. Mary, Norwich, 5 July 1752 where his father, Thomas Hansard (1727-1769), was a manufacturer in that city 11
Paul Hansard (1922-2013), German film and television actor, known for The Buccaneers (1956), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and Gold (1974)
Glen Hansard (b. 1970), Irish Academy Award and Grammy Award winning actor and composer, known for Once (2006), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)

The Hansard 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: Fractus pugnato
Motto Translation: Broken in fight

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ANGLIA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Anglia.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020