De Havilland family

The De Havilland family is an Anglo-Norman family of landed-gentry background whose history is linked to mainland Normandy and Guernsey. A branch of the family lived for many years at Havilland Hall near Saint Peter Port, the capital of Guernsey. The family is not a commercial brand, company, or product line; it is a genealogical and historical subject used to group related individuals connected by birth or marriage. The family’s documented roots extend into Guernsey’s medieval settlement history. Among its earlier recorded members was Peter de Havilland (1747–1821), who served as Bailiff of Guernsey. His son Thomas de Havilland (1775–1866) was an army officer. Later generations produced figures whose careers reached well beyond the Channel Islands. Walter de Havilland (1872–1968) was a British patent attorney and an accomplished Go player. He was the father of the actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, better known professionally as Joan Fontaine. Another prominent branch centered on Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882–1965), the aircraft designer and entrepreneur who founded the de Havilland aircraft company. His sons Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. and John de Havilland became test pilots. Geoffrey Jr. died in 1946 while test-flying the de Havilland DH.108, while John died in 1943 during a test flight. Their careers and deaths are part of the family’s association with British aviation history, although the family itself should not be confused with the aircraft company founded by Sir Geoffrey. The family’s best-known public figures in popular culture are Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, sisters who became British-American film actresses. Their careers in Hollywood made the surname internationally recognizable. Their mother, Lilian Fontaine, was also an actress. Through marriage, the family was connected to several people in the entertainment industry, including actors Brian Aherne and William Dozier, screenwriter Marcus Goodrich, and film producer Collier Young. The family’s later public associations include Will de Havilland, an English professional footballer born in 1994. Taken as a whole, the De Havilland family represents a historical lineage rather than a unified operating organization. It has no identified headquarters, corporate owner, public listing, or commercial product portfolio.

The De Havilland family is described as an Anglo-Norman family that originated in mainland Normandy and later settled in Guernsey during the Middle Ages. A branch established itself at Havilland Hall near Saint Peter Port, creating a long-standing association with the island’s landed gentry and civic history. Peter de Havilland, born in 1747 and deceased in 1821, served as Bailiff of Guernsey. His son Thomas, born in 1775, pursued a military career as an army officer. The family’s nineteenth- and twentieth-century descendants developed careers in several different fields rather than maintaining a single hereditary profession. Walter de Havilland, born in 1872, became a British patent attorney and was also known for his expertise in the board game Go. He was the half-uncle of the aviation pioneer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland. Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, born in 1882, became the family’s principal aviation figure. He founded the aircraft company that bore his name and helped establish the de Havilland name in British aerospace history. His brother Hereward de Havilland, born in 1894, was an aviator. Sir Geoffrey’s sons Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. and John de Havilland also became test pilots. John died in 1943 during a test flight, while Geoffrey Jr. died in 1946 while testing the experimental DH.108 aircraft. These events connected the family to the risks and technological development of early British flight testing. Walter de Havilland’s daughters Olivia de Havilland and Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, professionally known as Joan Fontaine, became major British-American actresses. Their mother, Lilian Fontaine, was an actress, and the sisters’ careers gave the family international prominence in cinema. Olivia and Joan each married people involved in the film and entertainment industries. Joan’s husbands included actor Brian Aherne, actor and producer William Dozier, and film producer Collier Young. Olivia married screenwriter Marcus Goodrich. These marital links broadened the family’s association with twentieth-century American entertainment. A later generation includes Will de Havilland, born in 1994, who became an English professional footballer. The family therefore spans Guernsey public life, British law and administration, aviation, film, and sport. It is best treated as a genealogical family subject rather than as a corporate entity or commercial brand. The family has no single founder in the business sense, no known central management, and no unified product or service offering.

• 1994

  Birth of Will de Havilland

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Will de Havilland, later an English professional footballer, was born.

• 1946

  Death of Geoffrey de Havilland Jr.

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Geoffrey de Havilland Jr., a test pilot, died while test-flying the experimental de Havilland DH.108.

• 1943

  Death of John de Havilland

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  John de Havilland, a test pilot and son of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, died during a test flight.

• 1917

  Birth of Joan Fontaine

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, later known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was born.

• 1916

  Birth of Olivia de Havilland

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Olivia de Havilland, who became a prominent British-American actress, was born.

• 1882

  Birth of Geoffrey de Havilland

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Geoffrey de Havilland, who later founded the aircraft company associated with his name, was born.

• 1747

  Birth of Peter de Havilland

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  Peter de Havilland, later Bailiff of Guernsey and an ancestor of later family members, was born.

• Medieval settlement in Guernsey

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Anglo-Norman family is described as having originated in mainland Normandy and settled in Guernsey during the Middle Ages.

• Association with Havilland Hall

  [1]De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org

  A branch of the family lived for many years at Havilland Hall near Saint Peter Port in Guernsey.

1. 1De Havilland familyen.wikipedia.org