Campean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Campean is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is a name for a professional champion. In the Middle Ages a common manner of settling disputes was through trial by combat. Thus, proficient fighters would sell their services to represent parties involved in such cases by fighting on their behalf. The word derives from the Anglo Norman French word, campion, of the same meaning. 1

We found this interesting passage that explores the "champion" aspect in more detail: "In the ordeal by battle, in criminal cases, the accuser and the accused took the field themselves, but in disputes about the ownership of land, the actual parties to the suit were represented by 'champions', in theory their free tenants, but in practice, hired men, professional champions, and very well paid. In 1294 the Dean and Chapter of Southwell incurred a prospective liability of about £750 in modern money in hiring a champion to fight a duel to settle a law-suit about the advowson of a church. A pugil or champion was a regular member of the household of more than one medieval bishop, Thomas Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford (1275-1282), paying his champion, Thomas de Bruges, a salary of half a mark a year." 2

Early Origins of the Campean family

The surname Campean was first found in Hampshire where Herbert Campion was listed at Winton in 1148. A few years later, Geoffrey Champiun was found in Northumberland 1154-1169 and later again, Roger le Campion was found in the Pipe Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1197. In Suffolk, William le Champion was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1220. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include Beatrix le Campiun, Cambridgeshire; John Campiown, Huntingdonshire; and Walter le Campion, Buckinghamshire were listed as holding lands at that time. A few years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Simon Campion and Ricardus Campion. 3

Further to the north in Scotland, Nicholas Champion of Berwick rendered homage to King Edward I in 1291, and again as Nicol Campyon of Berwickshire in 1296. 4

Early History of the Campean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Campean research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1291, 1296, 1540, 1569, 1578, 1581, 1590, 1595, 1599, 1602, 1607, 1608, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1624, 1640, 1659, 1665, 1689, 1698, 1701 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Campean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Campean Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Campion, Champion and others.

Early Notables of the Campean family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Campion (1540-1581), English Jesuit, son of a citizen and bookseller of London. During his illustrious career, he mingled with royalty many times but is most famous for his book The History of Ireland." 5William Campion alias Wigmore (1599-1665), was another Jesuit, "a native of Herefordshire, entered the Society of Jesus at Watten, near St. Omer, in 1624, and became a professed father in 1640. " 5Thomas Campion (d. 1619), was an early "physician, poet, and musician, was probably...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Campean Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Campean family to Ireland

Some of the Campean family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 143 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Campean family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Campean name or one of its variants: Jean Campion who settled in Virginia in 1621 with his wife and four children, and his brother Philip and his wife and one child; Robert Campion settled in Virginia in 1624.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print