Furneaux History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The ancient history of the Furneaux name begins with the Norman invaders of Britain. The name is derived from some of the many place names in Northern France created from the Old French word "fournel." One family resided in the area of Furneau-sur-Baise, near Falaise, France.The Normans frequently used the name of their estate in Normandy as part of their name. Other Norman invaders took names from their recently acquired estates in England.

Early Origins of the Furneaux family

The surname Furneaux was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Important Dates for the Furneaux family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furneaux research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Furneaux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furneaux Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Furneaux, Furnell, Fournel and others.

Early Notables of the Furneaux family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Furneaux Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furneaux 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:

Furneaux Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Mr. Furneaux, European settler originally settled on Auckland Islands, transported aboard the ship "Earl of Hardwicke" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1852 ^[1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Furneaux (post 1700)

• Peter Furneaux (1935-2014), English football club chairman and investor, former Executive Director at Grimsby Town
• Tobias Furneaux (1735-1781), English navigator and Royal Navy officer, who commanded the "Adventure" as part of Captain James Cook's second voyage of exploration
• Karen Furneaux (b. 1976), Canadian world champion kayaker

Citations

1. ^ New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html