Contents [hide]

Hungerford History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Hungerford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Hungerford comes from when the family resided in the market town and civil parish of Hungerford, a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, 9 miles (14.5 km) west of Newbury. It dates back to at least 1101-18 and was derived from the term "hunger ford", meaning "ford leading to poor land." 1

There is an old legend that "Hingwar the Dane" (Ivarr the Boneless, d. 873?) drowned accidentally while crossing the Kennet, and that the town was named after him. By 1241, it called itself a borough. And in the late 14th century John of Gaunt, medieval lord of the manor granted the people of the village the lucrative fishing rights on the River Kennet. 2

Early Origins of the Hungerford family

The surname Hungerford was first found in Gloucestershire at Down Ampney, a parish, in the union of Cirencester, chiefly in the hundred of Crowthorne and Minety. "The manor-house, a very interesting specimen of ancient architecture, was formerly one of the many seats of the Hungerford family, and is situated precisely on the border line of the two shires." 2

Farleigh-Hungerford in Somerset was another ancient family seat. " This place derives the adjunct to its name from the distinguished family of Hungerford, for more than 300 years lords of the manor, which was sold in 1370, with the hundred of Wellow, to Sir Thomas Hungerford, steward to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

The castle of Farleigh is of uncertain foundation; it was enlarged in 1378 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, with four towers, of which two are remaining" 2 A brass plate to the memory of Robert de Hungerford can be found in the church of Hungerford, Berkshire.

Early rolls show Robert de Hungerford at Winton, Hampshire in 1148; Edward de Hungrefford in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200; and Thomas Hungerford in the Feet of Fines for Wiltshire in 1354. 3

The variant Huntingford likely originated at Huntingford, a tything, in the parish of Wotton-under-Edge, union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester. 2 4

Early History of the Hungerford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hungerford research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1378, 1397, 1449, 1503, 1540, 1541, 1567, 1607, 1611, 1614, 1627, 1632, 1645, 1657, 1660, 1673, 1685 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Hungerford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hungerford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Hungerford include Hungerford, Hungerton, Huningford, Huntingford and others.

Early Notables of the Hungerford family

Notables of the family at this time include

Thomas Hungerford, first recorded Speaker of the House of Commons (1330-1397)
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford, Speaker of the House of Commons (1378-1449)
Sir Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton (1567-1627), a religious controversialist
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury (1503-1540), the first Englishman to be executed for homosexuality
Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton (c. 1607-1657), an English Member of Parliament, supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War
Anthony Hungerford (c.1614-1657), a Colonel in the English Parliamentary army who fought in Ireland during the War of the Three Kingdoms
Sir Giles Hungerford (1614-1685) of Coulston, Wiltshire, an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Whitchurch (1660)
Henry Hungerford (1611-1673), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1660
he also founded Hungerford Market, at Charing Cross

Hungerford Ranking

In the United States, the name Hungerford is the 8,473^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Hungerford family to Ireland

Some of the Hungerford 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.

Hungerford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Hungerford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Hungerford, who settled in New London Connecticut in 1633
Thomas Hungerford, who arrived in Hartford, Connecticut in 1638 6
William Hungerford, who landed in Maryland in 1646 6
Sarah Hungerford, who landed in Virginia in 1650 6
Joan and Sarah Hungerford, who settled in Virginia in 1650
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hungerford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Albert Hungerford, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
Dana Hungerford, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
S Hungerford, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6

Hungerford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hungerford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Frances Jane Hungerford, aged 1 year & 1 month who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle on 20th May 1847 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hungerford (post 1700) +

M. L. Hungerford, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County 1st District, 1872 8
John Pratt Hungerford (1761-1833), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Virginia State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Virginia, 1811, 1813-17 8
John Newton Hungerford (1825-1883), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1872; U.S. Representative from New York 29th District, 1877-79 8
Joel Hungerford, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Watertown, 1834 8
Harold W. Hungerford (1902-1982), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State Senate 24th District, 1967-70 8
G. Wilmot Hungerford, American Republican politician, First Selectman of Watertown, Connecticut, 1956-57 8
Edgar M. Hungerford, American politician, Member of University of Nebraska Board of Regents, 1875-76 8
Daniel D. Hungerford (b. 1886), American politician, Representative from New York 37th District, 1924, 1926; American Labor Candidate for New York State Senate 46th District, 1952 8
Daniel Hungerford, American politician, Supervisor of Bedford Township, Monroe County, Michigan, 1844-45 8
Charles A. Hungerford (b. 1840), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Susquehanna County, 1881-82 8
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hungerford family +

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Joseph Paul Hungerford, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

The Hungerford 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: Et Dieu mon appui
Motto Translation: And God my support.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 35)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html