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The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Stalbean family lived in Devon. Their name, however, is a reference to St. Albine de Terregatt, Normandy.
"Mauger de St. Albyn witnessed the foundation charter of Barnstaple Abbey in the time of the Conqueror, and his posterity remained for many generations in Devonshire. Their earliest recorded residence was Pickwell, in the parish of George Ham, where Sir Mauger de St. Albino was seated in the latter days of Henry III." 1
"This knight and his lady are interred in the church, under a fair monument of free stone, with their representations neatly cut ; and he lying in his armour makes show of large stature, something more than ordinary. The inhabitants report from their ancestors that he was of giant-like stature, and therefore named Major St. Aubyn, mistaking Major for Mauger or Maugis, a common name in those days. He was of so great and extraordinary strength that he was able to cast a huge main stone a very large length. The stone is yet there to be seen, and the throw marked out by two erected monuments yet extant, and the stone is so weighty that two strong men of this age are but able to lift it." 1
The surname Stalbean was first found in Devon and neighbouring Cornwall. "The manors of Berripper and Penpons, [in Camborne] which are now the property of Sir John St. Aubyn, have long been in the possession of his family. His grandfather, who was born in this parish, and who represented this county in parliament, has rendered his name memorable by his eloquence and independence." 2
"The manor of Trelowith, together with that of Trenhale, [in the parish of St. Erth, Cornwall] has long been in the St. Aubyn family, where it still remains. Hals says, that from Trenhayle was denominated an old family of gentlemen that became extinct so early as the reign of Edward III. when the heiress of this family married Tencreek, whose heiress married Budeoxhed, which family also became extinct in the reign of Elizabeth. It appears however, from the parish register, that some of the Trenhayle family remained so late as the seventeenth century." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stalbean research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1640, 1641, 1645, 1670, 1684, 1687, 1702, 1714, 1726, 1744, 1772 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Stalbean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 St. Albyn, St. Awbyne, St. Aubyn, St. Alban and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John St. Albyn; John St Aubyn (1613-1684), English politician in the House of Commons (1640), Colonel in the Parliamentary Army in the English Civil War...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stalbean Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Stalbean or a variant listed above: Jonathan St. Alban, who settled in Barbados in 1663; James, David, Edward, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, Walter and William Tobin all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870..