Fremantle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Fremantle family

The surname Fremantle was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of lands Reginald Freimantel who succeeded the Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Fremantle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fremantle research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1360, 1396, 1765, 1766, 1798, 1800, 1819, 1850, 1869 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fremantle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fremantle Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Freemantle, Fremantle, Freimantle, Fremantel and many more.

Early Notables of the Fremantle family

Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Francis Fremantle (1765-1819), a highly successful naval officer in the Royal Navy, who was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and received several Austrian an...
his eldest son Thomas Francis Fremantle, 1st Baron Cottesloe (1798-1890), British politician
another son, Admiral Sir Charles Howe Fremantle (1800-1869), who was a Captain in the British Royal Navy, instrumental in the establishment of the colony at the Swan River in Western Australia, where...
Sir William Henry Fremantle (1766-1850), British politician of this same family

Fremantle migration to Canada +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Fremantle or a variant listed above:

Fremantle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henery Fremantle, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Fremantle 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:

Fremantle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Caroline Fremantle, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name Fremantle (post 1700) +

Richard Fremantle (1936-2018), English-born, American art historian
Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Francis Fremantle GCB, GCH (1765-1819), British naval officer in the Royal Navy, a close friend of Lord Nelson
Thomas Francis Fremantle PC, PC (Ire), JP (1798-1890), 1st Baron Cottesloe, known as Sir Thomas Fremantle, Bt, between 1821 and 1874, a British Tory politician
Thomas Francis Fremantle (1830-1918), 2nd Baron Cottesloe, 3rd Baron Fremantle, a British businessman and Conservative politician
Thomas Francis Fremantle (1862-1956), 3rd Baron Cottesloe, 4th Baron Fremantle, a British peer and sportsman who competed in the shooting event at the 1908 Summer Olympics
John Walgrave Halford Fremantle GBE, TD (1900-1994), 4th Baron Cottesloe, 5th Baron Fremantle, a British aristocrat and public official. He served as the Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain and the South Bank Theatre Board
Commander John Tapling Fremantle DL JP RN (1927-2018), 5th Baron Cottesloe, 6th Baron Fremantle, a British peer and an Austrian nobleman

The Fremantle 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: Nec prece ne pretio
Motto Translation: Neither prayer, nor price

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)