Devaudrey is one of the many names that the
Normans brought with them when they conquered
England in 1066. The Devaudrey family lived in
Cheshire. Their name, however, is a reference to
Vaudrey, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the
Norman Conquest of
England in 1066.
Early Origins of the Devaudrey family
The surname Devaudrey was first found in
Cheshire where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor of Boden. They were granted lands by Duke William of
Normandy after his conquest of
England at Hastings in 1066 A.D. This noble family were under tenants of the great Earl Hugh of Chester. The Vawdrey family were originally of the French Comte and held a family seat at the Chateau Vawdrey and were Lords of St. Fallen
Champagne, the Comtes de Bourgoyne. The Chateau Vawdrey can be seen between Dole and Salins.
Early History of the Devaudrey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Devaudrey research.
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1820 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Devaudrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Devaudrey Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of
spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Vawdrey, Vawdray, Vadrey, Vawdry, De Vawdry, De Vaudry, De Vawdrey, De Vaudrey and many more.
Early Notables of the Devaudrey family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Devaudrey Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Devaudrey family to the New World and Oceana
Because of the political and religious discontent in
England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Devaudrey name or one of its variants: Daniel Vaudrey, who settled in Virginia in 1683; and Edward Vadry who came to North America in 1710.