Benjafield One-Name Study

Benjafield
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Benjafield One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Historical occurrences
Frequency of the name
Distribution of the name
Data
Links
Contact Details

About the Benjafield One-Name Study

Research began in 2000 to discover if two marriages of Benjafield’s into my family had any connection to each other.

This led to the discovery that most Benjafield’s had their roots in a small area around the Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset borders.

Membership to the Guild of One Name Studies followed in 2001.

Variants

Variants of the name are Bengafield, Bengefield, Bengerfield, Bengeyfield, Bengifield, Bengyfield, Benjefield, Benjerfield, Benjeyfield and Benjiefield.

Although a few more variants appear in census returns transcripts!

Origin of the surname

Although I haven't discovered the origins of the name Benjafield, an early reference is mentioned in a book called Motcombe Past and Present by Lady Theodora Grosvenor published in 1867 'a John de Bengervil was a verdurer of the forest of Gillingham circa AD 1300.'

Historical occurrences

John Benjafield - One black sheep ancestor has made it into the history books as a remittance man who was paid off for indiscretions, by the Prince Regent and lived the high life after that. He landed in Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk at 350 guineas a year until his death in 1832. He was at one point the editor of the Morning Post, and dared to publish articles about the Prince Regent and Mrs. Fitzherbert. He described himself as a young ensign of the King's body guard but he was also a student of the law, for the Admissions Register for Lincoln's Inn lists, under the date 5 November, 1783, 'John Benjafield, gent., eldest son of Nathaniel B. of Blandford, Dorset, Esq.'

Joseph Dudley Benjafield - of racing car fame (LeMans) who raced in the twenties, and became quite a legend as one of the Bentley Boys. His most famous victory was at Le Mans in 1927 in a Bentley with SCH Davis

Charles Benjafield – Silton, Saskatchewan was named for the old Benjafield family home, Silton in the county of Dorset, England, by Charles Benjafield, who went there in the early eighteen eighties. He died in 1912 and was buried in the little cemetery just west of the village.

Norman Benjafield - a doctor by profession. In October 1922 he was called to the Edmonton Empire, to attend to the famous comedienne, Marie Lloyd. He advised her not to perform that night. She ignored the advice and promptly collapsed in the wings and died a few days later.

Frequency of the name

UK Census: as listed on Ancestry for exact searches of Benjafield:

1841: 56 names, 1851: 93 names, 1861: 105 names, 1871: 94 names, 1881: 154 names, 1901: 139 names

1891; the main distribution of 160 names is: Somerset 32%, Dorset 23%, Middlesex 8%, Norfolk 7%, Wiltshire 6%, Hampshire 3%.

2002 UK Phone Book: 332 names

2007 Electoral Roll: 179 names

Distribution of the name

The Benjafield families originate in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. There is a branch in Suffolk but the link to the Dorset family is yet to be established, although many have tried to prove the link. In various censuses there is a family in Yarmouth.

Today there are branches in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Data

All the births deaths and marriages have been transcribed from 1837 to 2004. All census returns have also been transcribed. These records can be searched on request. Some are available on the Benjafield researchers link below.

Links

Genealogy

My Blog This started in July 2007.

Benjafield Researchers kindly hosted by Dave Benjafield

Benjaield Mailing List at rootsweb

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mrs Mary M Bird
5 Fox Way,
Nether Stowey,
Bridgwater,
Somerset
TA5 1PF
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

This page last updated 25 February 2008.