Plene History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

When the ancestors of the Plene family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, they brought their name with them. It is a name for a gardener as the name was originally derived from the Old English word plant meaning plant, or young tree.

Early Origins of the Plene family

The surname Plene was first found in London where they held a family seat being descended from Fulk, the Count of Anjou, whose descendants were exemplified by the Emperor, Henry V of Germany. Geoffrey Plantagenet (1113-1151), Count of Anjou, was the father of Henry II of England. Henry ascended the English throne and thus began the Plantagenet dynasty. He bore the three royal lines which continued until the time of Edward III who added a crest of another lion. The eventual heiress of this house was the Princess Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, and Queen of Henry VII. Many junior lines abounded.

The parish of Great Sandall in Yorkshire has an interesting footnote about this illustrious family. "This place is of high antiquity, and was long the baronial seat of the lords of Wakefield, of whom John Plantagenet, the last Earl of Warren, erected a strong castle here about the year 1320, which in the reign of Edward III. was occupied by Edward Balliol, one of the competitors for the throne of Scotland. The castle became the property of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who fell in the battle of Wakefield, in 1460; and was subsequently the residence of his son, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III. During the war in the reign of Charles I., it was held for the king, but was ultimately surrendered to the republican forces in 1645, and in the following year was demolished by order of parliament; the remains are very inconsiderable, scarcely serving to point out the site." 1

Early History of the Plene family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plene research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1533 is included under the topic Early Plene History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plene 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 Plantaggenett, Plantagenet, Plant, Plante and others.

Early Notables of the Plene family

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

Migration of the Plene family to Ireland

Some of the Plene 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.

Migration of the Plene family

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 Plene or a variant listed above: Thomas Plant who settled in Virginia in 1670; Elizabeth Plant settled in Maryland in 1723; Matthew Plant settled in Virginia in 1635; James Plant settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1841.