Sammes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Sammes family

The surname Sammes was first found in Essex where the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Kelveden Hatch held by a steward of Westminster Abbey who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

William de Sahan (died 1304), was an English judge, who may have been the son of Robert de Saham, but his father's name seems to have been Ralph. It is generally thought that he was a native of Saham Toney, Norfolk. 1

Early History of the Sammes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sammes research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1636 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Sammes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sammes Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Sammes are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Sammes include Sames, Sams, Sammes, Samms, Sam, Same, Samme and others.

Early Notables of the Sammes family

Aylett Sammes (1636?-1679?), grandson of John Sammes, Lord of the Manor of Little Totham, Essex, an English antiquary, noted for his theories of Phoenician influence on the Welsh language1...

Sammes migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Sammes, or a variant listed above:

Sammes Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

R.A. Sammes, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905

Contemporary Notables of the name Sammes (post 1700) +

Michael William "Mike" Sammes (1928-2001), English musician and vocal session arranger

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print