Fendomb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Fendomb name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the region of Fenton. The surname Fendomb originally derived from the Old English words Fenne and Tun which referred to an enclosed region by a dyke. There are numerous listings of this local name: a township near Carlisle, Cumberland; a chapelry in the parish of Beckingham, Lincoln; and a hamlet in the parish of Kettlethorpe, Lincoln.

Early Origins of the Fendomb family

The surname Fendomb was first found in Yorkshire where the Gilbert de Fenton was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls included: Robert de Fenton, Lincolnshire; and Thomas de Fenton, Devon. 1

Ralph de Fenton, was Rector of Warham, Norfolk in 1358 2 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Ricardus de Fenton; Johannes de Fenton; and Robertus de Fenton as all holdings lands there at that time. 1

Early History of the Fendomb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fendomb research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1539, 1565, 1601, 1603, 1608, 1615, 1683, 1694, 1726, 1728, 1730, 1754, 1760 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fendomb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fendomb Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Fendomb has undergone many spelling variations, including Fenton, Fentun, Fentoun, Fentown, Fentoune and many more.

Early Notables of the Fendomb family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Geoffrey Fenton (c.1539-1608), English writer and Privy Councillor (government advisor) from Nottinghamshire. His brother Edward Fenton (d. 1603), the English navigator, helped discovery the Northwest passage. They were sons of Henry Fenton of Fenton, in the parish of Sturton (formerly Stretton-le-Steeple), Nottinghamshire, and of Cecily, daughter of John Beaumont of Coleorton, Leicestershire. "Like his brother, Sir Geoffrey Fenton, he sold his hereditary patrimony, preferring the life of a soldier of fortune to the prospect of ending his days in the ignominious ease of his ancestral home." 3Roger Fenton (1565-1615), was born in...
Another 314 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fendomb Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fendomb family to Ireland

Some of the Fendomb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fendomb family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fendomb were among those contributors: Robert Fenton who settled in Virginia in 1606, fourteen years before the "Mayflower"; James Fenton, who purchased land in Virginia in 1623; Henry Fenton, who received a land grant in Virginia in 1638.

The Fendomb Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Gwell angau na gwarth
Motto Translation: Death before disgrace.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print