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![Show Contents]() Balown History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The present generation of the Balown family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Suffolk, where they held a family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name. Early Origins of the Balown familyThe surname Balown was first found in Suffolk, in the village and civil parish of Baylham. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Beleham and probably meant "homestead or enclosure at a river-bend" from the Old English words "begel" + "ham" or "hamm." 1 The parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, East division of Suffolk, 3 miles from Needham-Market was small but contained about 275 inhabitants in the late 1890s. 2 Early History of the Balown familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balown research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1600, 1635, 1642, 1684 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Balown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Balown Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Balown include Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more. Early Notables of the Balown familyMore information is included under the topic Early Balown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Balown family to Ireland
Some of the Balown family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Balown familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Balown were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Charles Baalam who sailed to New England in 1656. Charles Balam arrived in Barbados in 1679 and William Balam sailed to Philadelphia in 1856.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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England
Ireland
