Lenham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Lenham family

The surname Lenham was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Lenham, held by a friar of St. Augustine's Abbey, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Lenham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lenham research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1317 and 1348 are included under the topic Early Lenham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lenham Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Lenham, Leanham, Lennham, Lenholme, Lenegham, Lenenholme, Lenhome and many more.

Early Notables of the Lenham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Lenham family of Kent

Migration of the Lenham family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Lenham or a variant listed above were: immigrants who arrived from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)