Halums History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Halums belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in Hallam, a place name found in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, this place is called Hallum. 1 In Yorkshire, Hallam is found in the South Riding.

Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old Scandinavian word hallr, or from the Old English word hall, both of which meant "stony." The place name meant "the stony place, the place at the rocks." 2

In Derbyshire there is a place called West Hallam and another called Kirk Hallam. These names are derived from the Old English word halh, which meant "remote nook of land." Kirk in the Old English meat "church;" the name as a whole would be "church in a remote place," while West Hallam was a "remote place in the west." 3

Early Origins of the Halums family

The surname Halums was first found in Yorkshire at Hallam or perhaps at Halling, a village on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent that dates back to Saxon times in the 8th century when it was first listed as Hallingas. 3

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was known as Hallinges, 1 and literally meant "settlement of the family of a man called Heall, " from the Old English personal name + "ingas." 3

A scan of early rolls revealed Adam de Hallum in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and John de Hallum in Lancashire in 1328. Richard de Halom was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and Henry de Halom held lands in Yorkshire in 1392. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hallom and Elena de Hallum. 5

In Scotland, the name was "probably a late introduction from England. Janet Hallam was in the Carse of Twynholm, 1758. John Hallum or Hallume was hanged for being a Covenanter, 1685." 6

Early History of the Halums family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Halums research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1360, 1370, 1403, 1405, 1417 and 1537 are included under the topic Early Halums History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halums Spelling Variations

Until 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 Halums include Hallam, Halam, Hallum and others.

Early Notables of the Halums family

Notables of the family at this time include Robert Hallam (d. 1417), an English churchman, Bishop of Salisbury and English representative at the Council of Constance. He was Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1403 to 1405. He was born probably between 1360 and 1370, and educated at Oxford. 7 John Hallam (d. 1537), was an English "conspirator, a native of Cawkill, Yorkshire, and had much local influence and popularity. A determined Romanist he strenuously opposed the king's supremacy and the suppression of the monasteries. When the priest announced at Kilnskill that the king had suppressed St. Wilfrid's day, Hallam angrily...
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Halums Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Halums family

Thousands 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 Halums were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: James Hallam who settled in Maryland in 1741; William Hallam settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants; Thomas and William Hallam settled in Newcastle co. Del. in 1855.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print