Stannard Family
"This interesting surname of pre 7th century Olde English origins. It derives from the given name "Stanheard", composed of the elements "stan" meaning stone plus "heard" meaning hardy, brave or strong. As a personal or baptismal name it is typical of the period of history known as the Dark Ages, when the people of Europe longed for strong government in a time of great anarchy and lawlessness. The surname is much later, although even then one of the first to be created anywhere in the world. This was in the century following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The Normans certainly gave the country peace, however in so doing they also tried to destroy the Anglo-Saxon culture. This is a name which has survived the political correctness of that, and should be treasured for that alone. Early examples of the surname recording include: Ralph Stanhard in the pipe rolls of the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire in 1221, and Laurence Stannard in the Subsidy Rolls also of Cambridgeshire in 1327. Spelling forms of the modern surname include: Stannard, Stonard, Stonhard, Stonner, Stanett, Stennard and others. Examples of the surname recording in surviving early church registers include: Astyne Stannarde who married Amyes Valle on April 24th 1576, at St. Mary Somerset, city of London, and Janne Stannard who married Lawrence Lytton on August 7th 1594 at St. Katherine by the Tower (of London)."
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| Street in Long Stratton |
Stannard Surname Entry at SurnameDB.com
Earliest Place of Origin traced: Long Stratton, Norfolk
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| Robert James Stannard, b 1870 |
Robert James Stannard had died in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in 1917 and I was able to find information leading to a copy of his will on NAAIRS, the South African Archives online search engine. For a number of reasons, we knew very little about the Stannard part of the family, and it had always been a puzzle that we did not have other Stannard relatives in South Africa.
Family legend has it that he was a civil engineer responsible for the cnstruction of this bridge in Pietermaritzburg,
With the information my father was able to give me ("he was a Stannard, a civil engineer and lived in Pietermaritzburg"), I was able to find him, and through him trace his family back to Australia, thence to London and finally after ordering his grand-father, Nelson STANNARD's (sometimes known as William Nelson Stannard, sometimes as Horatio Nelson Stannard) marriage certificate...to Long Stratton, Norfolk, and from there to the earliest Stannard ancestor I've managed to find so far, Edmund STANNARD, born in about 1650.
Top Surnames linked to the our branch of the STANNARD family appearing in this tree...
Cave Cock Halls Hartill Phillips Rawling Saunders
Other pages researching the same family history:
Susan O' Neil's Research
Incoll Family Genealogy