The Wandesforde Legacy

A Yorkshire Origin

Wandesford Coat of Arms

The surname Wandesford is believed to originate from the place name 'Wandesford', now spelled 'Wansforth', in Yorkshire. The first Wandesford to come into the historical record was Geoffrey de Wandesford of Alnwick. He received lands in Alnwick from Edward III.

Geoffrey's son John, through marriage to Elizabeth Musters, eventually came into possession of Kirklington Manor which was to remain the family's principle seat in England. Until the seventeenth century the family remained petty gentry and steadily added to their property holdings. The family's loyalty to both the Crown and the newly established church was to be rewarded during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Sir Christopher and Lady Wandesford

Portrait of Sir Christopher and Lady Wandesford

Sir Christopher and Lady Wandesford

Sir Christopher and Lady Wandesford

Portrait of Sir Christopher and Lady Wandesford

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Sir Christopher Wandesford, the son of Francis and Ann, had lost control of Kirklington when his mother remarried on the death of his father. His step father Christopher Neville joined in the great Northern Rebellion against Elizabeth. However, Sir Christopher remained loyal on the defeat of the rebellion; he was rewarded with Kirklington and was later known as the Knight of Greenwich. 

His grandson, also Christopher, was to extend the family holdings to Ireland and in particualr Castlecomer.