Greenhouse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the name Greenhouse date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Greenhalg in Kirkham and Greenhalg Castle in Garstang. The surname Greenhouse originally derived from greene as n the village greene which was the center or main square of each region. Many inhabitants in various counties adopted this surname as part of their family's nomenclature. The surname Greenhouse is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Greenhouse family

The surname Greenhouse was first found in Shropshire where Richard de Grenhal was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. A few years later, William de Grenol was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1246, as was Matill de Greenhalgh, William de Grenolf, de Grenholl in the Subsidy Rolls for 1332. 1

One branch originated in Greenhalgh (now known as Greenhalgh-with-Thistleton), a civil parish on the Fylde in Lancashire or possibly Greenhalgh, now Greenhalgh Castle, in Garstang parish, Lancashire, (spelt Greenhaugh) 2

"The Greenhalghs, who are best represented in the Middleton district, derive their name from a Lancashire township. During the 15th century, the Grenehalghs of Brandlesome were hereditary bailiffs of Tottington, and during the two succeeding centuries they gained and retained the position of gentry. The name of Thomas Greenhalgh occurs in the list of intended Knights of the Royal Oak, amongst those of other Lancashire gentlemen, the annual value of his estate being there placed at £1,000: this Order, however, which Charles II. intended as a reward for his followers, was never founded." 3

Early History of the Greenhouse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greenhouse research. Another 269 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1246, 1576, 1584, 1591, 1599, 1611, 1613, 1615, 1635, 1644, 1646, 1648, 1651, 1652, 1655, 1658, 1661, 1669, 1671, 1672, 1676, 1679, 1708, 1740, 1791 and 1810 are included under the topic Early Greenhouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenhouse Spelling Variations

Greenhouse has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Greenhouse have been found, including Greenhalgh, Greenhow, Greenhough, Greenhall and others.

Early Notables of the Greenhouse family

Distinguished members of the family include William Greenhill (1591-1671), an English nonconformist clergyman from Oxfordshire, independent minister, and member of the Westminster Assembly; Thomas Greenhill (1611?-1658), an English colonial administrator, one of the early pioneers of the East India Company and the Agent of Madras for two terms (1648-1652) and (1655-1658); Elizabeth Greenhill, (1615-1679), who bore 39 children alive, and baptised, the last of whom was Thomas Greenhill (1669?-1740), English surgeon to Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk; Henry Greenhill (1646-1708), Agent-General at...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Greenhouse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greenhouse migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Greenhouses to arrive on North American shores:

Greenhouse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Greenhouse, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Greenhouse (post 1700) +

Linda Joyce Greenhouse (b. 1947), American Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School
Carol J. Greenhouse (b. 1950), American anthropologist, Arthur W. Marks Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012
Bernard Greenhouse (1916-2011), American cellist and one of the founding members of the Beaux Arts Trio
Bunnatine "Bunny" H. Greenhouse, American former chief contracting officer Senior Executive Service (Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC)) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
Martha Miriam Greenhouse (1921-2013), American stage, film and television actress
Sharon Greenhouse, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 2008 5

Historic Events for the Greenhouse family +

HMS Halsted

Mr. Percy Greenhouse (b. 1919), British Royal Navy able seaman from Sussex, England was stationed aboard the "HMS Halsted" when it was struck by torpedo by Jaguar and Mowe of the Cherbourg coast on 11th June 1944, he survived but died on the 20th June 1944

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Baines Thomas & William Fairbairn, Lancashire and Cheshire, Past and Present History of Counties London: William MacKenzie, 1867, Digital, 4 vols
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html