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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The surname Wansford 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 Wansford 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 Wansford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Wansford family name include 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 Wansford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Wansford family to immigrate North America: 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..