( French-Latin) Great Hunter; Chief Huntsman [French Gros Veneur: v. under Grose; Latin venator, a hunter] ‘This noble house [Westminster] traces its descent in the male line to a family which is stated to have flourished in Normandy for a century and a half before the conquest of England, and obtained its surname from having held the high and powerful office, in that principality, of le Grovenour.’—Burke’s Peerage.

This name was Latinized in mediæval records Grandis Venator, Grossus Venator, Magnus Venator.

Cp. the mod. French grand veneur, ‘master of the hounds.’

(English) The chief or royal huntsman.

Le Gros Veneut-"the great or chief hunter"-that office having been hereditary in the family under the dukes of Normandy. The family descend from an uncle of Rollo the founder of Normandy; and the first settler in England was Gilbert le Grosvenor, nephew of Hugh Lupus, earl of Chester, who was nephew of the Conqueror. This illustrious name is properly latinized Magnus Venator, but sometimes, absurdly, De Grosso Venatore.

So named from the office of Venur, or Venator (huntsman) of the Dukes of Normandy, borne by this family. Walter de Venur was eminently distinguished 960 at the battle of the Fords, between Lothaire, King of France, and the Normans, where he was rescued by Duke Richard I., and remounted by him on his best horse (Palgrave, Hist. Normandy, ii. 738). The name occurs about the same time in the Charters of the Gallia Christiana. The ancient seat of the Le Venours appears to have been Venables, near Evreux, and they bore or, or argent, a bend azure (La Roque, Hist. Harcourt, ii. 1181), which was also borne by several of their English descendants, especially by the family under consideration. Three brothers of this family came to England with Hugh Lupus: 1. Gislebert Venator, or De Venables, ancestor of the barons of Kinderton, of whom Gislebert Venables of Cheshire is mentioned in Normandy 1180 as ‘Gislebert Venator’ (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). The French line of Le Venur, descended from him, bore argent, a bend azure, fretty or, for difference (Anselme, viii. 256). From another brother probably derived the Butlers of Chester, Barons of Warrington, who also bore or, a bend azure, differenced by the wheat sheaves of Chester. 3. Radulph, or Ranulph. Ranulph Venator, a baron of Chester, held in capite from Hugh Lupus in 1086 (Domesd.). He witnessed the foundation charter of Chester Abbey, and was a benefactor to it (Mon. i. 201). His descendants all bore or, a bend azure, till the 14th cent. Robert le Venur, his son, received from Earl Hugh, t. Rufus, Over Lostock, Cheshire (Ormerod, iii. 82). His son Robert had, c. 1153, a grant of Budworth, with the office of forester or grand-huntsman of Delamere Forest (Ormerod, ii. 115), from Earl Hugh Kevelioc. Robert Grosvenor 1178 witnessed a charter of John, Constable of Chester, for Stanlaw Abbey (Mon. i. 897). Ralph, his son, t. John (Ormerod, iii. 87), was ancestor of the Grosvenors of Cheshire. In the reign of Richard II., Lord Scrope objected to their use of their paternal arms, as his own ancestors had used the same, at which time it was proved that the G.s had borne their arms from the remotest ages; but the influence of Scrope obtained a decision depriving this family of their original arms. The Marquises of Westminster, Earls of Wilton, and Lords Ebury descend from this house.