Featherstonhaugh Explained

Featherstonhaugh, also spelt Fetherstonhaugh and Featherstonehaugh, is an old English surname that was originally Fetherston. The name comes from Featherstone Castle in Northumberland, from the Old English English, Old (ca.450-1100);: feðere, 'feather', English, Old (ca.450-1100);: stān, 'stone', and English, Old (ca.450-1100);: healh, 'corner'.^[1]

The name is usually pronounced as spelt^{[2] [3]} though commonly shortened to Fetherston.^[4] The popularly known pronunciation of originated with Irish holders of the name. Other pronunciations include or . ^{[5] [6]}

Notable people

• Francis Fetherston (– after 1624), an English statesman
• George William Featherstonhaugh (1780–1866), an English-American geologist
• George W. Featherstonhaugh Jr. (1814–1900), an American legislator and businessman
• Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh (1859–1928), an Irish politician
• F. B. Fetherstonhaugh (1863–1945), a Canadian patent lawyer
• Constance Featherstonhaugh (later Benson; 1864–1946), an English actress
• Francis Featherstonhaugh Johnston (1891–1963), an Anglican bishop of Egypt
• Harold Lea Fetherstonhaugh (1887–1971), a Canadian architect
• Buddy Featherstonhaugh (1909–1976), an English jazz saxophonist
• Mary Featherstonhaugh Frampton (1928–2014), an English civil servant
• Robert Fetherstonhaugh (born 1932), an English cricketer
• Alexander Featherstonhaugh Wylie (born 1951), a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland

• Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh (1714–1774), 1st Baronet
  • Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, known as Harry (1754–1846), 2nd Baronet

Artistic and fictional works

• The Featherstonehaughs, a British dance company
• "Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh", an episode of the TV series Nanny and the Professor.
• Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge (the middle name pronounced "Fanshaw"), a fictional character in the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse.
• Marcus Featherstone's terrier "Foon" ("written 'Featherstonehaugh'") in the detective novel Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham (1931).
• Harry Featherstonhaugh in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery Books by T.E. Kinsey.
• Piers Featherstonehaugh is the protagonist in the game The Gene Machine.
• In E. M. Forster's Maurice, Clive Durham refers to a Featherstonhaugh who has a pianola. In the film, he pronounces it "Feestonhay".

See also

• Featherstone Castle
• Dover House
• Featherstone (disambiguation)
• List of irregularly spelled English names
• List of irregularly spelt places in the United Kingdom

Notes and References

1. Book: Fancher, Patrick A. . 2013 . Diana, Princess of the Royal Forest of the Peak: From Domesday to Derbyshire with the Eyres, Fanshawes, Featherstonehaughs, and Fanchers . Lulu . 39–48 . 978-1-300-88178-0 .
2. Debrett's Correct Form, ed. Patrick Montague-Smith, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1976, p. 381
3. News: Doughty . Eleanor . How to pronounce English names, from Belvoir to Featherstonhaugh . 12 November 2024 . . 29 May 2021 . en.
4. News: How Do You Pronounce Fetherstonehaugh? B.B.C. Announcers Have Now Got The Key . 12 November 2024 . . 13 April 1939 . 4.
5. News: Is Your Name? FEATHERSTONE. . 12 November 2024 . Leicester Evening Mail . 19 September 1930 . 18.
6. M. . O. . Featherstonehaugh . Plum Lines: The Quarterly Journal of the Wodehouse Society . Summer 2001 . 22 . 2 . 13 . 12 November 2024.