Readman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Readman family

The surname Readman was first found in Lancashire 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 of Irby who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Readman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Readman research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1428, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Readman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Readman 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 Radman, Readman, Ratman, Radmond, Radmon, Radham and others.

Early Notables of the Readman family

More information is included under the topic Early Readman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Readman migration to the United States +

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 Readman name or one of its variants:

Readman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Readman, who landed in Virginia in 1657 2
Thomas Readman, who arrived in Maryland in 1676 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Readman (post 1700) +

Lindsey Readman, American actress, known for Belle (2014), Headless (2000) and The Articulation of Alan Smith (2011)
David Readman (b. 1970), English singer, best known as the vocalist of the band Pink Cream 69
Angela Readman (b. 1973), English poet and short story writer, awarded the Costa Short Story Award (2013) and the Essex Poetry Prize (2012)
Andrew Readman (b. 1996), British actor, known for 101 Dalmatians, The Mark of Cain (2007), This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000) and coronation Street (1995-2015)

Citations +

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