Edmonds Hansen Gurney 333 Nz

edmondsallan - Hello - the following information all came from the
" Gurney Whanau of Aotearoa . nz. I found it very interesting that we are related by marriage and shows another part of the Extended Edmonds Ancestry in joining with other families goes right away back
in time There are 5343 names in this family tree. The earliest recorded event is the birth of of Scealdea, Beowa, 20 in 0020.
The Edmonds and the Gurney whanau are related by marriage thro the Hansens . They are as follows

Hansen - Dorothy Christina b- 1912

Hansen - John Joseph b- 1922

Hansen -Muriel Winifred b- 1910 - 1993

Hansen - Ole Christian b- 1882 -- 1943

Hansen - Opal May ( Molly ) b- 1913 -- 1998

FROM THE NGAPUHI CONNECTION

Shelford - Marae b- 1865 -- 1947

It is from John and Elizabeth that the great Norfolk Gurney Dynasty began

So, that said, lets begin, the name, Gurney, originates from Normandy France

When William the Duke of Normandy invaded England in 1066 to claim the English Throne, one of his
followers was a Norman Baron known as Hugo, he came from Gournai en Brai which is approx 60 miles
north of Paris, history records that Hugo owned 30 miles in all directions when he stood in the
centre of his domain

When the conquering Normans settled thruout England, they quickly learned that the local
inhabitants had first and last names as in John Smith and not just John etc, so they named them
selves similarly, with most (if they hadn't already done so) naming themselves after the territory
that they came from or controlled back in Normandy (or France, Brittany, Belgium, Italy etc because
they weren't all Normans)

For his loyalty to Duke William, Hugo was granted large areas of land in Norfolk and Suffolk, Hugo
(who is mentioned in "The Roll of Battle Abbaye") called himself, Hugo de Gournai, meaning
Hugo from or of Gournai, then over the years the name Gournai changed and had a variety of
spellings, de Gournai, de Gournay, de Gourney etc eventually becoming "anglicised" to what it is
today, plain old Gurney.

The Abbey, was erected on the orders of William to commemorate his famous victory. Its first
community, a society of Benedictine Monks, who not only prayed for those who had died in the battle
but also created a record known as, "The Roll of Battle Abbaye"

The "Roll of Battle Abbaye" is a cornerstone in feudal English genealogy as well as an extremely
interesting and controversial record, it contains the names of several hundred of the noble
companions of William the Conqueror, it records the origins of each companion and his relationship
to William, plus a description of the baronies and estates in England bestowed upon and granted to
them by William for their services and loyalty to him. It is thus the very first document in Norman-
English genealogy and the foundation of both spurious and authentic claims of Norman ancestry

Gournai is a French word generally meaning, "muddy swamp" or something along those lines, and
to "pull a gurney" is to make a grotesque face, they have "gurney" competitions in the UK and I
think the USA

There have been many Gurneys of note, probably the most written about are the above mentioned
Quaker Gurneys of Norfolk England, of which one was, Elizabeth Gurney, she married and became,
Elizabeth Fry

Till we meet again - Regards - edmondsallan