Mansfeild History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Mansfeild is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mansfeild family lived in Mansfield, a parish in Nottinghamshire. The place-name itself is a combination of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon terms, and literally signifies the field by the hill called Mam, from the Celtic word for a mother or a breast.

Early Origins of the Mansfeild family

The surname Mansfeild was first found in Nottinghamshire at Mansfield, a market town that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Mamesfelde. 1 The place name literally means "open land by the River Maun," from the Celtic river name + the Old English word "feld." 2 Looking back further, the area is known to date back to Roman times, with a villa discovered in 1787 by a Major Rooke and a cache of denarii coins found near King's Mill in 1849. Some claim the early English royalty were said to have stayed in the area, with the Mercian Kings using it as a base for hunting in the nearby Sherwood Forest.

Early History of the Mansfeild family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mansfeild research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1659 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Mansfeild History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mansfeild Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Mansfield, Manfield, Mansfeild and others.

Early Notables of the Mansfeild family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mansfeild Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mansfeild family to Ireland

Some of the Mansfeild 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.

Mansfeild migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Mansfeild or a variant listed above:

Mansfeild Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Mansfeild, who landed in Virginia in 1619 3
Thomas Mansfeild, who landed in Virginia in 1649 3
Vincent Mansfeild, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 3
Elizabeth and Vincent Mansfeild, who settled in Virginia in 1653 along with William
William Mansfeild, who landed in Virginia in 1654 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)