Ensom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Ensom family

The surname Ensom was first found in Staffordshire where the Edensors were originally found. Many of the family moved to Norfolk where the name was more commonly spelt Ensor and held Rolesby Hall from early times. 1 Two references claims that Edensor, a village in Derbyshire is also a likely an ancient homestead of the family. 1 2 One of the first records of the name was Adam de Ednesovere who was listed in the Assize Rolls in 1247. 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Richard de Edensore in Cambridgeshire. 3

Early History of the Ensom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ensom research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1077, 1173, 1415, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1570 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Ensom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ensom Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Ensom were recorded, including Endesore, Endasour, Endsour, Endasore, Endsaw, Endesaw, Endasaw, Endshaw, Endshore, Enshore, Enshaw, Ensor, Enser and many more.

Early Notables of the Ensom family

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

Ensom migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Ensom family emigrate to North America:

Ensom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Ensom, who landed in Maryland in 1673 4

Ensom migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ensom Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Ensom, (b. 1863), aged 16, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 5
Mr. Frederick Ensom, (b. 1865), aged 14, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Ensom (post 1700) +

William Ensom (1796-1832), English engraver who in 1815 gained a silver prize medal from the Society of Arts for a pen-and-ink portrait of William Blake 6

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020