Fentrice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Fentrice

What does the name Fentrice mean?

The distinguished surname Fentrice is derived from the Middle English word "aventurous," meaning "the venturous." 1

Another source "suggests La Ventrouse in the arrondissement of Montagne, Normandy, as the home of the family." 2

Following the Norman theme, we found Ralph Ventras, or Vintras, Normandy 1180-95 in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 3

Early Origins of the Fentrice family

The surname Fentrice was first found in Huntingdonshire where William A Ventur was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. Years later, William le Ventre was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Francis Ventreys was listed in the Feet of Fines for Huntingdonshire in 1600. 1

Some records point to Cambridgeshire, where the family was first referenced in the 13th century when they held a family seat at Wittlesford.

The Venters variant is typically found in Scotland where the name is "current in Fife," but like the English variants, there is much debate as to the origin. 4

Early History of the Fentrice family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fentrice research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1586, 1603, 1610, 1614, 1642, 1645, 1650, 1653, 1654, 1661, 1674, 1681, 1688, 1689 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Fentrice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fentrice Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Fentrice has been spelled many different ways, including Ventris, Ventres, Venters, Ventrus, Ventras, Venture, Ventures, Ventrice, Ventriss, Fentress, Fentris and many more.

Early Notables of the Fentrice family

Sir Peyton Ventris (1645-1691), English judge and politician. He was the "eldest surviving son of Edward Ventris, barrister-at-law, of Gray's Inn and Granhams, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire (a scion of a Bedfordshire family of some antiquity), by Mary, daughter of John Breuse of Wenham Hall, Suffolk, was born at Wenham Hall in November 1645. He was admitted on 3 Feb. 1653-1654 a member of the Middle Temple, where he was called to the bar on 2 June 1661. Failing to secure a practice, he devoted himself to reporting. In 1681 he was one...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fentrice Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fentrice migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Fentrices to arrive in North America:

Fentrice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Fentrice, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 5
Ro Fentrice, who landed in Virginia in 1645 5

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-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)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)