Show ContentsEllacomb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ellacomb family

The surname Ellacomb was first found in Devon at Ellacombe, a place under the Haldon Hills, where the 'de Ellacombes' were resident in 1306 1

In Wiltshire, Elcombe dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Elecome. 2 Literally, the place name means "valley where elder trees grow," or "valley of a man called Ella." 3

More recently it is a "tything, in the parish of Wroughton, union of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of Elstub and Everley" 4 but now is a hamlet in Wroughton.

Early History of the Ellacomb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellacomb research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1790, 1816, 1835, 1850 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Ellacomb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellacomb Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Ellacomb has appeared include Ellacombe, Ellicombe, Ellicomb, Ellacomb, Elcom, Elcum, Elcomb, Elacombe, Elacomb, Ellcum and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellacomb family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Henry Thomas Ellacombe or Ellicombe (1790-1885), English divine and antiquary, son of the Rev...
  • Canon Ellacombe...

Migration of the Ellacomb family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Ellacomb arrived in North America very early: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.



The Ellacomb Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nulla fraus tuta latebris
Motto Translation: No deceit is safe in its hiding place.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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