Elsdon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the name Elsdon date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Elsdon family lived in Nottinghamshire or Wiltshire. The name could also be classified as a baptismal name as in the son of Elstan and an earlier personal name Dunstan.

Early Origins of the Elsdon family

The surname Elsdon was first found in Nottinghamshire at Elston, a small village that lies between the rivers Trent and Devon and dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elvestune, Eluestune and Eluestune 1 and probably meant "farmstead of a man called Eilafr" from an Old Scandinavian personal name + tun. 2

The less likely local that the name could have been derived from is Elston in Wiltshire, a hamlet in the parish of St. George which was also listed in the Domesday Book, but as Wintreburne. 1

The variant Elstob is most interesting. This family hails from Elstob, a township in the parish of Stainton, County Durham. 3 4 This very small township (only 27 inhabitants in the late 1800's) 5 was the homestead of some remarkable people who we will soon discover. Early Assize Rolls listed Philip de Ellestob and William de Ellestobe 1235-1236 and Philip de Ellestob in 1269. 6

Further to the north in Scotland, the name hails from "the lands of Elliston near Bowden, Roxburghshire where John, son of Iliue de Iliuestun or Ylif de Ylifstun, held these lands in the reign of Alexander II, and Laurence Ylifstun is mentioned in 1249. " 7

Early History of the Elsdon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elsdon research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1637, 1662, 1673, 1683, 1685, 1715, 1718, 1721, 1758, 1774, 1790, 1791, 1801, 1831 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Elsdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elsdon Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Elsdon are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Elsdon include: Elston, Elstone, Elliston, Elsden, Elsdon, Elson and others.

Early Notables of the Elsdon family

Distinguished members of the family include Elizabeth Elstob (1683-1758), Anglo-Saxon scholar, born on 29 Sept. 1683 in St. Nicholas parish, Newcastle-on-Tyne. She was the sister of William Elstob (1673-1715.) He was an English divine, son of Ralph Elstob, merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was baptised at All Saints' Church, Newcastle, on 1 Jan. 1673. 8William Elstob (1673-1715), was an English divine, son of Ralph Elstob, merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was baptised...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elsdon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elsdon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Elsdon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Elsdon, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Elsdon, aged 25, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Mr. William Elsdon, (b. 1814), aged 25, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Elsdon (post 1700) +

Janet Elsdon Mackey JP (b. 1953), née Craig, a New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament for Gisborne (1993-1996) and for Mahia (1996-1999) and for East Coast (1999-2005)
Alexander Elsdon Maunder (1861-1932), British sport shooter, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Thomas Elsdon Ashford (1859-1913), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
Elsdon Best (1856-1931), New Zealand ethnographer who studied the Maori
Elsdon Storey, Australian neurologist

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html