Show ContentsMontepinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Montepinson family, who lived in Devon. Their name, however, is a reference to Mont-Pincon, in Calvados, in the arrondissement of Lisieieux, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Early Origins of the Montepinson family

The surname Montepinson was first found in Devon where they held a family seat anciently as Lords of the Manor. The name originally was the Norman Mont-pincon or pincun from the barony and castle in Normandy.

Ralf de Montpincon was the Norman noble dapifer who was granted lands in Devon for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Meanwhile in Normandy, the head of the family, Hugh de Monte Pincon held the service of three knights from Montpincon Castle in 1172.

Migration of the family from Normandy to England continued for centuries as seen by Richard Pynson (died 1530) who was a Norman by birth, but was naturalized on 26 July 1513. He became a printer in London. "From his method of working it is clear that he learnt the art in Normandy, probably in the office of Guillaume le Talleur." 1

Burton Pynsent House is a historic country-house in the parish of Curry Rivel, Somerset. It was built in 1765 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, after he inherited the estate from Sir William Pynsent (1642-1719.) "It was the property of Sir William Pynsent, Bart., and, with other estates, was left by him to the great Earl of Chatham, in testimony of respect for his character." 2 Pynsent Column stands on Troy Hill, a spur of high ground about 700 m north-east of the house.

Early History of the Montepinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montepinson research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1642, 1679, 1689, 1719, 1765, 1790, 1818, 1850, 1859 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Montepinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montepinson Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Pinson, Pincon, Pinsent, Pensent, Pensons, Pinsons, Pinser, Pincer, Poinson, Poincon, Pynson, MontPinson, Montpinson, Mountpinzo, Mompesson, Pinsun, Montepinson, Montepesson, Montepinsun and many more.

Early Notables of the Montepinson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Pynsent or Pinsent, 1st Baronet (1642-1719), of Urchfont, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Devizes in 1689; and his son, Sir William Pynsent, 2nd Baronet (c.1679-1765), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Taunton, unfortunately the title...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Montepinson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Montepinson family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Montepinson or a variant listed above: William Pinsen who settled in Virginia in 1623; Joseph Pinson who settled in Virginia in 1663; Roger Pinson settled in Jamaica in 1665; Samuel Pinson settled in Barbados in 1685.



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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