Show ContentsLansdowne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Lansdowne is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Lansdowne family once lived in the village of Lansdowne in the county of Somerset.

Early Origins of the Lansdowne family

The surname Lansdowne was first found in Somerset 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.

Early History of the Lansdowne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lansdowne research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1643, 1883 and 1888 are included under the topic Early Lansdowne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lansdowne Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Lansdowne family name include Lansdowne, Lansdown and others.

Early Notables of the Lansdowne family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Henry Lansdowne, Governor General of Canada


Lansdowne migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Lansdowne surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Lansdowne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Lansdowne, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Lansdowne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Lansdowne, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Lansdowne (post 1700) +

  • Lieutenant Commander Zachary lansdowne (1888-1925), United States Navy officer and early Naval Aviator who contributed to the development of the Navy's first lighter-than-air craft
  • William Petty Fitzmaurice Lansdowne (1737-1805), British 1st Marquess Of Shelbourne, British statesman
  • Juliet Lansdowne Powers, American politician, Dry Candidate for Delegate to Kentucky convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 1

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Cecil R E Lansdowne (b. 1923), English Canteen Assistant serving for the Royal Navy from Deal, Kent, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 2


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  2. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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