Walter de Hungerford III

• Preferred Name: Walter de Hungerford III^[1]
  
• Gender: M
  
• FSID: 9345-FXD
  
• Death: 1308 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England at LATI: N1.1778 LONG: E2.0857 with note: Standardized. The United Kingdom didn't exist before 1801.
  
• Fact: with note: Description: Last name meaning and origin: He was from Hungerford. Hungerford means "ford leading to poor land". De means "of" in numerous Latin based languages.
  
• Birth: 1260 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England at LATI: N1.1778 LONG: E2.0857 with note: Standardized. The United Kingdom didn't exist before 1801.
  
• Burial: 1308 in Cornwall, England at LATI: N0.2512 LONG: E5.0668 with note: Standardized. The United Kingdom didn't exist before 1801.
  
• National ID: with note: Description: IND4533
  
• Christening: 1260 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England at LATI: N1.1778 LONG: E2.0857 with note: Standardized. The United Kingdom didn't exist before 1801.
  
• Notes:

  === !#93-v28-p257; !#242-1831-p282; !#653-p1 ===
  !#93-v28-p257; !#242-1831-p282; !#653-p106,107; !#969-v1-p117; !#1028-p2,3; !#2025-2s-v8-p464;-v9-p49,165,293;
  
  === this is an extra generation ===
  
  === !#242-1831-P282; !#801-index-p137; !#969 ===
  !#242-1831-P282; !#801-index-p137; !#969-v1-117; !#1028-p2;
  
  === !BIR-MAR-DEA: Bk, Medieval Knight by Ste ===
  !BIR-MAR-DEA: Bk, Medieval Knight by Stephen Turnbull.
  
  === WILTSHIRE PUBLICATION 9, VOL 1 P.117; ===
  WILTSHIRE PUBLICATION 9, VOL 1 P.117;
  
  === One of the ways prominent families acqui ===
  One of the ways prominent families acquired surnames was by theassumption of place-names. Hungerford is a small pastoral village on theRiver Kennet in Berkshire, about 100 kilometers west of London on theroad to Bath. One of the legends accounting for the name indicates thatthe locality was named because it was a ford of a river used by Gnlges,hence Anglesford, corrupted to Hungerford. A more plausible account isthe tale taht in 870 A.D. after the martyrdom of King Edmund and theuprising of the Angles against the Danes, two Danish chieftains wereescaping, and "Hingwar was drowned as he was crossing a morass inBerkshire, which morass is called to this day Hyngerford." A number of individuals of the 12th century seem to have beenidentified with the Hungerford locality. However, one family inparticular rose from that Berkshire morass to achieve the heights ofwealth and power normally reserved for royalty and the traditional feudalclass of baronial landlords. Two 14th century brothers, Sir Robert and Sir Walter, wereprosperous farmers who held a number of local government offices inWiltshire and represented their county in Parliament for 20 years.Through several fortuitous marriages and political connections with theLancastrian branch of the Plantagenet rulers, the family rapidly acquiredboth sufficient lands, honors and political positions to be classed withthe most powerful families in all England. The wealth of this family supported several major branches, andsurvived the political upheavals of the 16th century. A considerableportion of their property passed to the Earls of Huntington through LadyMary Hungerford of Salibury in the mid-1500's. In the late 17th century, the last male heir of the senior branch ofthe family gambled away his vast holdings, including the family seat atFarleigh-Hungerford in Somerset, which had been held, lost and regainedseveral times between 1369 and its final sale in 1686. With the death of his nephew in 1835, the remaining riches of thejunior branches of the Hungerford family were sent to the United Statesof America according to the terms of the will of James Smithson {thismoney was used to found the Smithsonian Institute}. Hungerford remains to this day a picturesque village where theinnkeeper can be persuaded to regale you with tales of "those rogues, theHungerfords." On Tuesday of Easter-week, the Hock-tide ceremony stilltakes place in remembrance of the taxations of the early landlords. Amacaroni supper is served at the John of Gaunt Inn. The Hungerford juryappoints two men to collect a poll-tax of tuppence from each male and akiss from each female citizen of the town. The tithe-men carry shortpoles with flowers and blue ribbons, and heavily laden assistantsdistribute oranges to each person taxed or kissed. The townhall has a horn which is said to have been presented by Johnof Gaunt. He granted fishing rights in the Kennet to the town, which isstill a popular angling resort. In his memory, a red rose is presentedto any sovereign passing through the town. The early Hungerford family had no coat of arms, but used the sickleas their symbol. Usually the emblem consisted of 3 sickles formed into atriangular knot. This device may still be seen on the archway atFarleigh-Hungerford and in other places. The family burial monuments inSalisbury Cathedral and elsewhere are frequently marked with a largenumber of individual sickles. (A Summary of the families Hungerford:descendants of Thomas of Connecticut: including a brief history of theHungerford family in England from the 12th century, and descendants ofThomas of Ireland, William of Maryland, and Thomas of Maryland", byStanley Hungerford, 1988)

1. Walter de Hungerford, b. 1308 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England     d. 1354 in Somerset, England

1. Walter Hungerford, b. 1314 in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England     d. 1355 in Frome, Somerset, England

1. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Walter de Hungerford - Published information: death: ; England, United Kingdom
   Note: Published information: death: ; England, United Kingdom Published information: male Published information: death: ; England, United Kingdom Published information: male Published information: birth: about 1260; Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom Published information: male Published information: death: ; England, United Kingdom Published information: birth-name: Walter Hungerford