Type Surname
Usage English (British)
Other Forms FormsFeatherstone, Fetherston, Fetherstone, Featherstonehaugh
Meaning & History
The name probably means feudal stone where the locals paid the lord of the manor their taxes. It probably starts spelled in the 1500's as Fetherston which is mainly when parish records began and moves though the century's to Fetherstone and then to Featherston then Featherstone, In the Doomsday book the lord of the manor of Featherstone in West Yorkshire but in both cases it was of course Fetherston was Ralph de Fetherston. We know that one of his ancestors known as John Lord of an area which included the said area, married a daughter of the Lord of Tynedale (Tyndale) and moved into Northumberland to the Tyne valley and built himself a keep or pele tower. He added 'haugh' to the end of his name since the keep was on the side of the river Tyne and 'haugh' means the side of a river valley, and so we get another name Fe(a)therston(e)haugh, which even has it variants. - From https://featherstone.one-name.net/