Estrange History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The first bearer of the name Estrange most likely took on this name based on an early member of the family who was a "stranger." It would have been given to someone who was new in the village or parish. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Estrange family

The surname Estrange was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Knockyn (Knockin.) "The parish derives its name from a castle founded here by the family of L'Estrange, who possessed the manor in the reigns of Henry II. and Henry III., the latter of whom directed a precept to the sheriff of the county, commanding the aid thereof, to enable John L'Estrange to erect part of the 'Castle of Cnukyn,' and to repair the rest for the defence of the borders. His son received from the same monarch the grant of a weekly market, and a fair on the eve and morrow of the festival of St. John the Baptist. Madoc, a Welsh nobleman, headed an insurrection, and defeated Lord Strange at Cnukyn." 1

Another source claims Guy Le Strange had the castle built between 1154 and 1160 and it is not known when the castle was abandoned. Little is left of Knockin Castle today other than mounds of the original fortification. In 1540, Leland described it as 'a ruinous thing.' The family are descended from the Dukes of Brittany and it is recorded that during a great tournament at Castle Peverel in Derbyshire about 1120 attended by Owen, Prince of Wales, and a son of the King of Scots, and two sons of the Duke of Brittany, one of whom was Guy L'Estrange. It is from Guy, that the several branches of the family L'Estrange descended. Sixth in descent from Guy was John L'Estrange, Baron L'Estrange. He gave to his brother about 1320, Hamon L'Estrange, the manor of Hunstanton in Norfolk, a manor which he had held since about the year 1210. 2

Early History of the Estrange family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Estrange research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1226, 1232, 1237, 1240, 1260, 1269, 1270, 1289, 1294, 1311, 1323, 1461, 1506, 1532, 1559, 1604, 1605, 1616, 1631, 1632, 1655, 1656, 1660, 1661, 1669, 1689, 1704, 1724 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Estrange History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Estrange Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled L'Estrange, Lestrange, Estrange, L'Estrang, Estrang and many more.

Early Notables of the Estrange family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Guy L'Estrange, son of the Duke of Brittany
Hamon L'Estrange (1605-1660), an English writer on history, theology and liturgy, of Calvinist views from Sedgeford, Norfolk
Richard L'Estrange or Le Strange, an English Member of Parliament for Shoreham in the Parliament of 1559
Sir Nicholas L'Estrange, 1st Baronet of Hunstanton, Norfolk (1604-1655)
Sir Hamon L'Estrange, 2nd Baronet (1631-1656)
Sir Nicholas L'Estrange, 3rd Baronet (1632-1669)
Sir Nicholas L'Estrange, 4th Baronet (1661-1724)

Migration of the Estrange family to Ireland

Some of the Estrange family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Estrange migration to the United States +

Records show the name Estrange in some of the earliest immigrant records of North America:

Estrange Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Estrange, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1688 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)