Hessey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hessey

What does the name Hessey mean?

The Hessey name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the village and township of Hessay, which is in the parish of Moor Monkton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Hessey belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hessey family

The surname Hessey was first found in West Yorkshire at Hessay, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Hesdesai. 1

By the 12th century, the place name had evolved to Heslesaia and literally meant "marshland or island where hazels grow," from the Old English words "haesel" + "sae" + "eg." 2

A search through early rolls showed: Robert de Hessey in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1208 and Robert de Hessay in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. 3 (These entries may be for the same person)

The Hundredorum Rolls for 1273 proved the widespread use of the name in early times as a search found John de Hesey, Cambridgeshire and Henry Hesee, Salop (Shropshire) as both holding lands in their respective shires.

Sewal de Hessay was listed as a Freeman of York, 2 Edward I (during the second year of the reign of King Edward I.) Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hessay, Robertus de Hessay and Nicholaus de Hessay, of Hessay. 4

Early History of the Hessey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hessey research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1272, 1273, 1307, 1379, 1773, 1780, 1785, 1786, 1814, 1818, 1870 and 1892 are included under the topic Early Hessey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hessey Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hessey has undergone many spelling variations, including Hessey, Hessy, Hessay, Hesee, Hesey and others.

Early Notables of the Hessey family

James Augustus Hessey (1785-1870), an English publisher who co-founded the publishing company Taylor and Hessey with John Taylor. James was an acquaintance of John Keats, one of the principal poets of...
James was the son of James Hessey (gent.) who had purchased a commission as quartermaster for the 43rd Foot Regiment in 1773. Having fought for the British in the American War of Independence, he left...
James Augustus Hessey (1814-1892) was a London-born, British cleric and Headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School

Hessey migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hessey were among those contributors:

Hessey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cornelius Hessey, who arrived in New York in 1801 5
Daniel Hessey, who sailed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1840

Hessey migration to Australia +

Hessey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Hessey, aged 42, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"
Fanny Hessey, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"

Contemporary Notables of the name Hessey (post 1700) +

Robert Hessey, English organist at St John the Baptist, Penshurst, Kent, England
James Augustus Hessey (1785-1870), English publisher and co-founder of the publishing company Taylor and Hessey in 1819, publishers of the poets John Keats and John Clare
Sean Hessey (b. 1978), English professional footballer
James Augustus Hessey (1814-1892), British cleric and Headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School, eldest son of publisher James Augustus Hessey
Ruth Hessey, Australian actress and film critic

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
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)