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| Origins Available: |
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The surname Wangford was first found in Suffolk at Wangford (St. Peter), a parish in the union and hundred of Blything or at Wangford (St. Denis) another parish in the union of Mildenhall in the hundred of Lackford. 1
A census in the late 1800s, listed 818 inhabitants for Wangford (St. Peter) and only 46 inhabitants for Wangford (St. Denis.) Wangford dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Wankeforda and literally meant "ford by the open fields" from the Old English words wang + ford. 2
Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wangford, held by Richard Fitzgilbert from the Abbot of St. Edmund's. 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wangford research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1327, 1497, 1586, 1592, 1593, 1621, 1624, 1629, 1637, 1640, 1655, 1656, 1665, 1684, 1707, 1710, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1726 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Wangford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Wangford, Wangforth, Wankforth, Wankford, Wangfurd, Wangforde, Wankforde, Wandsford, Wandesford, Wandisford, Wansford, Wainsford and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Christopher Wandesford (1592-1640), an English administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629, Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1629.
His brother, John Wandesford (1593-1665) of Kirklington, Yorkshire was also an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1665.
Christopher Wandesford, 1st Viscount Castlecomer (1656-1707) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Christopher Wandesford...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wangford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wangford or a variant listed above: settlers were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Florida, and to the islands..