Map of England showing where the Lansdown arms are recorded
The Lansdown arms were recorded in Cornwall, c. 1620.
Cornwall was a county apart, with its own language and its own tight-knit gentry. Tin and the sea made money there, and families who made it bought land, which is what brought arms with it.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
James VI and I
Sovereign of the period
James VI and I
1603–1625
Reigning in England when the Lansdown arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Cornwall.
Origin & History of the Lansdown Family in England
The surname Lansdown is a locational name that originated from the English landscape, specifically referring to people who lived near a long hill or a down. By the early seventeenth century, the family had firmly established roots in the rugged county of Cornwall. Records from 1620 confirm their presence in this region, where the family likely worked in the local industries of mining, farming, or maritime trade. During this period, Cornwall was a distinct cultural area with its own traditions, and families often stayed within the same parishes for generations. The name evolved from the Old English words for land and hill, reflecting how early ancestors identified themselves by the physical features of the countryside they called home. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the Cornish peninsula, contributing to the local community long before the industrial changes of later centuries.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Landes-dun
Old English words for land or territory and a hill or fort.
This name
LansdownA topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or near a fortified settlement.
also spelled
Langden
Langdin
Langdyn
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Reaney, P.H. and Wilson, R.M., A Dictionary of English Surnames, 1991
Cornwall Archives, Parish Registers of Cornwall, 1620
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