Neston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Neston family

The surname Neston was first found in Cheshire at Neston, a parish, in the union, and Higher division of the hundred, of Wirrall. "At the Domesday Survey the manor of Great Neston was held in three parts, one by the monks of St. Werburgh, one by William Fitz-Nigel, Baron of Halton, and the third by Robert the Cook. Early in the reign of Stephen, the second baron of Halton obtained that portion which belonged to the monastery, in exchange for Raby; and a subsequent arrangement put him in possession of the entire manor. The manor of Little Neston is mentioned in Domesday Book as held by Robert the Cook. " 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Neston, held by William FitzNigel, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. However, we must look to Sussex to find the earliest records of the name. William A. Neston was listed there in 1447, as was Robert A. Neston who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1525. 2

Early History of the Neston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Neston research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1525 is included under the topic Early Neston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Neston Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Neston, Nesston, Nestone and others.

Early Notables of the Neston family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Neston family of Cheshire

Neston migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Neston or a variant listed above:

Neston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Neston, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 3

Citations +

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)
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)