Norman name?

[JD46]

I have traced my family line back to John Crowhurst (1480-1540), who married Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land. This makes me wonder if the Shernfolds were descended from the Normans. Can anyone help?

[Rena]

I have traced my family line back to John Crowhurst (1480-1540), who married Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land. This makes me wonder if the Shernfolds were descended from the Normans. Can anyone help?

You need somebody who has more ideas on the Norman conquest than me.  I believe the spelling of "Margeret" has no bearing  on the questions you are posing.  I believe the French equivalent of the English Margaret is "Marguerite".

This webpage shows Crowhurst to be an early place name@
https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ7512/crowhurst/

There's an historic house in Shernfold Park but I can only find mention of it being built in 1855.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1028366

This is in the historic village of Frant, which is described in Genuki
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SSX/Frant.

It's a puzzle why Margeret had the separate "De" between given name and surname; unless her surname was DeShernfold/D'shernfold, with the "De" joined to the stem, which is usually how modern day surnames are shown.  . 

Surname became law circa 1068, with names being chosen from the place people lived, or the occupations they had., or on a person's looks/traits.

Best Wishes.

[TreeSpirit]

...  Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land.

Maybe ... , but maybe not if her name has a link to Shernfold Park:
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/5328722eb47fc40c360003f3

[Rena]

...  Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land.

Maybe ... , but maybe not if her name has a link to Shernfold Park:
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/5328722eb47fc40c360003f3

Well done - I didn't know that web site existed !

[markheal]

...  Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land.

Maybe ... , but maybe not if her name has a link to Shernfold Park:
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/5328722eb47fc40c360003f3

Well done - I didn't know that web site existed !

...  Margeret de Shernfold (1480-1548). Her name is obviously French, and her family seem to have owned land.

Maybe ... , but maybe not if her name has a link to Shernfold Park:
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/5328722eb47fc40c360003f3

Well done - I didn't know that web site existed !

Useful website..... Are there an equivalents for Scotland, Wales and Ireland?
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/about

[Vance Mead]

As Rena has noted, this must be Shernfold in Frant, Sussex.

Here is John Crowherst in Frant, Sussex, in Common Pleas in 1529.

Third entry:
Sussex. Jury between Thomas Rayner, of Maresfeld, querent (plaintiff) and John Crowherst, of Frentt, husbandman, for debt.

This entry is calling for the sheriff to empanel a jury.

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H8/CP40no1060/aCP40no1060fronts/IMG_4898.htm

[Vance Mead]

Here's a slightly earlier Common Pleas case, from 1523.

Second to last entry:
Sussex. George Nevyle, knight, Lord Bergevenny versus William Maynard, senior, of Retherfeld, husbandman; Thomas Hotheley, of Retherfeld, husbandman; John Crowherst, of Frante, husbandman or yeoman. Debt of 100 marks (about 67 pounds) from each of them.

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT3/H8/CP40no1038/aCP40no1038fronts/IMG_0028.htm

[JD46]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I am curious about the lady John Crowhurst married, in around 1498. ‘Margeret de Shernfold’ certainly refers to Shernfold in Sussex. Does that mean her family owned land there (a manor?). Why the use of ‘de’? Was that common at the time? Or does it suggest some kind of Norman ancestry? As I understand it, William parcelled out land to his followers after 1066, who then referred to themselves as, for example, ‘Roger de (i.e ‘of,’ or ‘from’) Smithfield’ (meaning Roger, ‘from’/‘owner of’ the manor or land around Smithfield). Was she descended from a Norman who was given, or seized, land in Shernfold?

[Vance Mead]

"de" just means from, in either Latin or French, usually without any suggestion of Norman descent. The records from Common Pleas that I posted earlier are in Latin. John Crowherst, for example, was "de Frante".