Fenton Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Fenton Origin:

England

Origins of Fenton:

The surname of Fenton is said to be a locational surname that hails from the country of England. Being a locational surname, this means that it was often taken by the Lord or owner of the land from which the name derives. Others who may have take a locational surname are people who have migrated out of the area to seek out work. The easiest way to identify someone who was a stranger at that time was by the name of their birthplace. In the case of the surname of Fenton, there are towns, villages, and townships such named in the areas of Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Cumbria and Northumbria. The name itself hails from the Old English Pre 7th Century word of “fen,” which can be translated to mean “ a marsh,” combined with the element of the Old English word of “tun,” which can mean a “fenced enclosure.” In this case, the surname of Fenton can also be considered as a topographical surname. A topographical surname is used to describe someone who lived on or near a residential landmark. This landmark could be either man made or natural, and would have been easily identifiable in the area from which it hailed, thus making the people who lived near it easily distinguished. In the case of the surname of Fenton, it would have been given to someone who lived near a fenced-in marsh.

Variations:

More common variations are: Feenton, Fentone, Fentton, Fentonw, Feinton, Venton, Fanton, Finton, Fenten, Ventom

History:

England:

The first recorded spelling of the surname of Fenton was found within the country of England. One person by the name of Walter de Fenton was mentioned in the document known as the Pleas Rolls in the county of Yorkshire in the year of 1199. This document was ordered, decreed, and written under the reign of one King Richard I of England, who was known throughout the ages and commonly referred to as “The Lionheart.” King Richard I of England ruled from the year of 1189 to the year of 1199. Other mentions of the surname of Fenton within the country of England included one Adam de Fenton, who was recorded as residing in the county of Derbyshire in the year of 1230, and one William Fenton who was mentioned as living in the county of Lincoln in the year of 1332. Those who bear the surname of Fenton within the country of England can be found in the areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, and the areas in and around the city of London in high concentrations.

United States of America:

During the 1600’s, many European citizens migrate to the United States of America, which at that time was known as the New World, or the Colonies. Among the first to arrive to the New World was one James Fenton, who arrived in the state of Virginia in the year of 1623 and purchased land in this area. Shortly after, Henry Fenton moved to Virginia in 1638.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Fenton: United States 19,314; England 9,959; Australia 4,065; Canada 3,530; Mexico 1,413; South Africa 1,406; Ireland 1,245; New Zealand 1,027; Scotland 958; Jamaica 732

Notable People:

Reuben Eaton Fenton (1819-1885) who served as the 22nd Governor of the state of New York from the year 1865 to the year 1868, and who also served as a United States Senator from the year of 1869 to the year of 1875, and whom Fenton, New York was named after, was also a merchant and politician from America

Carroll Lane Fenton (1900-1969) who was a historian of science, a neoinchologist, a geologist, and a paleontologist from America

Mildred Adams Fenton (1899-1995) who was a paleontologist and geologist from America

Elizabeth Fenton, who served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention from the state of Connecticut in the year 2000, and who was a Democratic politician from America

Daniel G. Fenton, who served as a Member of the Wisconsin State Senate in the 3rd District in the year of 1848, and who was a Democratic politician from America

Charles W. Fenton, who was a U.S. Consul in Southampton in the year 1849 to the year 1850, and who was a politician from America

Charles B. Fenton, who served as a Member of the Michigan State House of Representatives from the Mackinac District in the years 1867 to 1868, and in 1871 to 1872, and who was a politician from America

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Fenton, co. Notts; Sir Geoffrey Fenton, Knt., principal Secretary of State for Ireland, d. 9 Oct. 1608, next brother of Edward Fenton, Esq., of Fenton, d.s. p., fourteenth in descent from Sir Richard Fenton, Lord of Fenton. Visit. Notts, 1614. Fun. Ent. Ulster’s Office). Ar. a cross betw. four fleurs-de-lis sa., quartering or, a lion ramp. gu. collared ar., Mallory, and az. semee of cross crosslets and a lion ramp. ar., Bretofts. Crest—Out of a ducal coronet an arm embowed in armour or, in the band a sword ar. hilted gold.
2) (co. Kent, and Crake, co. York). (co. Nottingham). Ar. a cross betw. four fleurs-de-lis sa. Crest—A fleur-de-lis enfiled with a ducal coronet or.
3) (Glynamel, near Fishguard, co Pembroke; the family claims descent from Sir Geoffrey Fenton, Chief Justice of Ireland, temp. Elizabeth). Same Arms as the preceding. Crest—Out of a ducal coronet an arm in armour embowed holding a dagger all ppr. Motto—Gwell angau na gwarth.
4) (Consall; William de Fenton, Constable of Newcastle. 1255; Sir John Draycott re-leased lands in Consall to Richard de Fenton, temp. Richard II.). Ar. a cross betw. four fleurs-de-lis sa. Crest—Out of a ducal coronet a dexter arm embowed in armour, the hand grasping a sword point downwards all ppr.
5) (the arms appeared in York Cathedral, Oct. 1414). Vert six falcons’ heads erased or.
6) (co. York). Ar. a cross gu. betw. four fleurs-de-lis sa.
7) (Underbank, co. York). Quarterly, 1st and 4th, ar. a cross betw. four fleurs-de-lis sa., for Fenton; 2nd and 3rd, ar. a fesse dancettee, in chief three leopards’ heads sa., for West. Crest—A fleur-de-lis issuing from a ducal coronet ppr.
8) (Millearn). Motto—Per ardua surge. Gu. a bend engr. betw. two crescents ar. Crest—A palm tree growing out of a rock ppr.
9) (of that Ilk, Scotland; the heiress m. the first Lord Fraser of Lovat). Gu. a bend engr. ar.
10) (Baikey, Scotland). Ar. three crescents gu.
11) (Norton Hall, Chipping Campden, co. Gloucester, and Dalton Manor, Preston, co. Lancaster; James Kenton, Esq., Lord of the Manors of Bailey, Dalton, and Ribchester, M.A. Trin. Coll. Cambridge, F.S.A., J.P. cos. Gloucester and Lancaster, barrister-at-law, of Lincoln’s-inn, high sheriff co. Gloucester, 1869). Motto—Je suis prest. Per pale ar. and sa. a cross dove­tailed betw. in the first and fourth quarters a fleur-de-lis, and in the second and third quarters a trefoil, all counterchanged. Crest—In front of two arrows in saltire ppr. a fleur-de-lis sa.