An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2016
Verdun is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Verdun family lived in Buckinghamshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Verdun, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Verdon, Verdan, Verdin, Verdun and others.
First found in Buckinghamshire where they were descended from Bertram de Verdun, a Norman baronial name from Verdun, near Avranches in Normandy, where they were descended form the Counts of Verdun, and came to England in 1066 and was granted Farnham Royal in that shire. Tradition has it that on the day of the Coronation of William I, he provided a glove for the King's right hand. In 1095 he served as Sheriff of York. He also held lands in what is now known as Alveton or Alton in Staffordshire. "The living [of Alveton], before the Reformation, was connected with the abbey of Croxden, to which the benefice was attached by Bertram de Verdun of Alton Castle, in 1176, after he had founded the abbey. The ruins of the castle still remain, on the summit of a rock 300 feet above the bed of the Churnet." 
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Verdun research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 118 and 1184 are included under the topic Early Verdun History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Verdun Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the Verdun family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Verdun name or one of its variants:
Verdun Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
The Verdun Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Verdun Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 9 March 2016 at 10:55.