Beningfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Beningfield

What does the name Beningfield mean?

The distinguished surname Beningfield is of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin. The name is derived from the Old English words "bean," meaning "bean," and "feld," meaning "field." 1 2 This name is borne by several places in England, such as Benfield in Northamptonshire, Benville Manor in Dorset, and the now-lost Benfield in Sussex. 3 Thus, the progenitor of the surname was most likely either someone who hailed from one of these places, or someone who lived near a bean field.

Early Origins of the Beningfield family

The surname Beningfield was first found in Hertfordshire, where Goduin de Benefelle (Benefette) was recorded as a land-holder in the Domesday Book. 4 After the Norman Conquest of 1066, King William granted the lands of England to the barons that had served him in the Battle of Hastings. These barons followed the Norman practice of adopting the name of their land holdings; thus, it is possible that one branch of the Beningfield family is descended from Richard, who was granted lands in the village of Benefield, East Northamptonshire.

"There are two villages about a mile apart, distinguished as Upper and Lower Benefield, the road from Oundle to Great Weldon proceeding through both." 5

One of the first records of the family was Reginald de Benetfeld from Binfield, Berkshire in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. Robert de Benefeld was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and John Benefeld was listed in the Assize Rolls for Warwickshire in 1381. 6

Early History of the Beningfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beningfield research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1296, 1381, 1559, 1630 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Beningfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beningfield Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Beningfield family name include Benfield, Benefield, Benfeld, Benefeld, Benefiel and others.

Early Notables of the Beningfield family

Sebastian Benefield (1559-1630), English divine and professor of theology at Oxford University. He was a native of Prestbury (or Prestonbury), Gloucestershire, where he was born on 12 Aug...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beningfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beningfield family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Beningfield surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Henry Benfield, who came to Virginia in 1674; Brasil Benfield, who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife Rebeccah and their son Edward; Thomas Benfield, who came to Virginia in 1721.

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)