Vennable History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Vennable is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vennable family lived in Venables, Normandy, "about thirty miles beyond Rouen, on the road to Paris, between St. Pierre and Vernon, standing in the centre of the neck of a peninsula formed by a bend of the Seine. The high road runs straight through this tract to the centre of the arc of the Seine, which it intersects at a point where the river bends past Pont Andeli, near the famous Château Gaillard." 1

Venables was the barony and ancient seat of the Le Veneurs, so named from their hereditary office of Veneur or Venator (Huntsman) to the Dukes of Normandy.

Early Origins of the Vennable family

The surname Vennable was first found in Cheshire where this distinguished Norman family were descended from Gilbert de Venables, from Venables, in the canton of Gaillon, near Evreu in Normandy. Walter Veneur (ancestor of Gilbert), fought at the Battle of Fords in 960 between the King of France and Richard I Duke of Normandy. 1

"But who so prominent in the group as Gaultier-le-Veneur? All the interest of the battle seemed at one juncture to be concentrated upon the Huntsman, as though he had been the sole object of the conflict. Dragged off his horse, seized by the enemy, rescued and remounted by the ready Duke on the best he had perhaps his own charger: and now, again, for the battle !" 2

"Gilbert de Venables or Gislebertus Venator, as he is entered in the Domesday Book, was one of the Palatinate barons of Hugh Lupus, in Cheshire, and has been called his nephew, although his name does not appear in the pedigree of the son of the Earl's only sister, Ralph de Meschines." 1

"The manor [of Agden] was held by a family of the same name: a moiety of it passed by female heirs to the families of Daniel and Venables; the other moiety, by purchase, to the Savages, who sold it to the family of Venables in 1619. William Venables married the heiress of the Daniels; and in 1727 the heiress of George Venables was married to Sir T. P. Chetwode, Bart., in whose family the property continues." 3

"The house of Venables bore Azure, two bars Argent [as their Coat of Arms] and was first adopted by the fifth Baron about 1253." 1

Early History of the Vennable family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vennable research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1604, 1613, 1640, 1645, 1648, 1649, 1662, 1669, 1687 and 1762 are included under the topic Early Vennable History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vennable Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Vennable family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Peter Venables (1604-1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1669, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; and Robert Venables (c. 1613-1687), English soldier, writer and angler, known for his treatise on angling, The Experienced Angler, in 1662. He was the son of Robert Venables of Antrobus, Cheshire, by Ellen, daughter of Richard Simcox of Rudheath, and entered the parliamentary army when the civil war broke out, and served under Sir William Brereton in Cheshire and Lancashire. In 1645 Venables was governor of...
Another 120 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vennable Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vennable migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Vennables to arrive on North American shores:

Vennable Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ralph Vennable, aged 21, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 4

The Vennable 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: Venabulis Vinco
Motto Translation: I conquer with hunting-spears.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Palgrave, Sir Francis F.R.S., F.S.A. History of the Anglo-Saxons. London: William Tegg, 1871, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)