Hocksam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hocksam family

The surname Hocksam was first found in Devon at Huxham, a parish, in the union of St. Thomas, hundred of Wonford. 1 2 3 4

Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Huxham, held by Ralph de Pomeroy, a Norman noble from La Pommeraye in Bayeux in Normandy who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Part of their castle still remains at Cingueleiz near Falaise.

It is here that the family's first record was found with a very early spelling variation. Robert de Hokesham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1230. 5

Early History of the Hocksam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hocksam research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1715, 1717 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Hocksam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hocksam Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hoxham, Hocksham, Hockham, Hockam, Hocksam, Hoxam and others.

Early Notables of the Hocksam family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Huxham (1692-1768), English physician, born at Totnes, Devonshire, the son of a butcher. "On 7 May 1715 he entered as a student under Boerhaave at Leyden, but being unable to stay the requisite three years, he graduated M.D. at Rheims in 1717. He took a house at Totnes, but soon moved to Plymouth. The dissenters generally consulted him, but his practice did not grow...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hocksam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hocksam family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hocksam or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)