The Featherstone surname has
several possible origins. Most
branches of the family have their own version of how the name originated.
- Burkes’s Peerage and Baronetage states that,
“The surname is said to have been thus derived: the house in which the
family resided was formerly upon a hill (where were two stones, called
‘fether stones’), and was moated round as defense against the Scots;
but, upon being destroyed, a new edifice was erected in the holme or valley
under the hill, which valley was locally denominated a ‘haugh’, and
thence the appellation of ‘Fetherstonhaugh.’”
- Other scenarios include the possibility of a
stone standing at the ancient manor where the feudal Lord took payments from
his tenants and the stone was called ‘feudalstone’.
The step from that name to Featherstone is not hard to imagine.
Another scenario presents the possibility of the name being derived
from a standing Celtic stone monument which were called ‘feder stones.’
- Whatever the truth may be, the surname is now
found around the world and the lineage for most Featherston(e)’s can be
traced back to England and Ireland. The spelling of the name includes,
Fetherston, Featherston, Featherstone, Featherstonhaugh as well as other derivations.
- The Featherstone Castle is located in Northumberland
near Haltwhistle in northern England. It
is only a short distance from it to the ancient Hadrian’s
Wall, which was built by the Romans during their domination of England.
The wall has been called the greatest monument built by the Romans in
England.
- Our branch of the family traces back to
Derbyshire in the early 1700’s. The
quest for additional generations of Featherstone never wanes by a group of
cousins in our family.
- Our earliest proven Featherstone ancestor was
William Featherstone, born in approximately 1710 near Horsley in Derbyshire.
William married Elizabeth Slater on 17 Dec 1733 in Horsley.
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