Show ContentsPense History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Pense arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Pense family 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 Pense family

The surname Pense 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 Pense family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pense 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 Pense History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pense Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled 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 Pense 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 Pense Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Pense migration to Canada +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Pense or a variant listed above were:

Pense Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Rudolph Pense, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Contemporary Notables of the name Pense (post 1700) +

  • Lydia Jane Pense (b. 1947), American rock-soul-jazz singer, best known for her work with the band Cold Blood


  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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