Fortesque History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Family Crest Image (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

The ancient name Fortesque is a Norman name that would have been developed in England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This name was a name given to a valiant or strong warrior. This name is composed of the Old French elements, fort, which means strong, and escu, which means shield. Sir Richard le Forte was one of the leaders of the Norman army at Hastings. He was a great fighter and protected Duke William by holding a large shield or escue in front of him, hence Fortescue.

Early Origins of the Fortesque family

The surname Fortesque was first found in Devon at Wymodeston (later called Winston) in the parish of Modbury in the year 1209. ^[1] This was "the most ancient seat of the Fortescues, in whose possession it continued from the days of King John to the Reign or Queen Elizabeth." ^[1] A current search for Winston in Devon returns nothing other than a reference to Winston Manor. However, the parish of Modbury is today in the South Hams region.

Early History of the Fortesque family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fortesque research. Another 196 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1442, 1607, 1394, 1476, 1442, 1461, 1531, 1607, 1578, 1659, 1580, 1659, 1621, 1581, 1666, 1665, 1719, 1689, 1695, 1695, 1698 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Fortesque History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fortesque Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Fortesque were recorded, including Fortescue, Fortesque and others.

Early Notables of the Fortesque family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Fortescue (c.1394-1476), English jurist. A supporter of the Lancastrian king Henry VI, he was chief justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1442 until 1461; John Fortescue (1531-1607), the third Chancellor of the Exchequer of England; George Fortescue (1578-1659), an English essayist...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fortesque Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fortesque family to Ireland

Some of the Fortesque family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.