Christopher,

I have a similar project going, which although dealing with an earlier emigration of a Bangs still might be of interest:

I'm researching the ancestry of Edward Bangs, a pilgrim who came from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1623 aboard the Anne. He was one of the founders of Eastham, Massachusetts and is believed to be the father of all Bangs families in America. Edward appears to have resided in Chichester, England prior to emigrating, although one branch of the Bangs family in America contended that Edward was defintiely from the Isle of Man, or at least that his family was. My own research to date has not shown this to be the case, but that research has been far from exhaustive.

Edward's son Jonathan had in his possession the seal of the same family crest used by several Banks families in England, a Moor's head adorned with a crescent from which issues a fleur-de-lis. It is thought probable that Edward brought this seal with him from England (or possibly the Isle of Man) and handed it down to Jonathan. I'm investigating the possibility that Edward's family in England was an offshoot of a Banks family.

From what I understand, the name Bangs is rare in England. Many believe Bangs to be a corruption of Banks; and Banks is thought probably to be Norman-French in origin. I have also heard that some believe Bangs is of Danish (Viking) origin. I can share what information I have on the Bangs surname and the earliest known Banks families in England.

I have an unproven genealogy for Edward Bangs in which the surnames are Bangs, Banges, and Bang dating to 1400 in Smallburgh, Norfolk, England. The documentation for this genealogy consists of wills. They were sent to me by another researcher and the source of the wills is not given. I'm still trying to track down the source for these wills and find other supporting evidence for this genealogy.

Anyway, I haven't turned anything up so far in researching Edward's possible Banks roots in England. I have been in contact with some very helpful researchers on the Banks surname in England and Isle of Man, but as yet no firm connection has emerged between the Bangs and Banks surnames.

If I turn up anything in my research that looks like it might be potentially helpful to your search for Bangs roots in England I'll keep you posted.

Bets wishes,

Roger Peterson
rogbngp@yahoo.com