Show ContentsHebbourn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the annals of Scottish history, few names go farther back than Hebbourn, whose ancestors go back to the people of the Boernician tribe. The first family to use the name Hebbourn lived in Durham but moved northward in 1329 to Chillingham in Northumberland, where they lived in the village of Hebburn in the parish of Chillingham. 1

Early Origins of the Hebbourn family

The surname Hebbourn was first found in Northumberland. Thomas de Heburn was on record in the Assize Rolls for that county in 1279. 2

They prospered here from 1271 until the 18th century, when the family line ended with an heiress. Adam de Hepburn (de Hylburne) was the first of the line. 3

One version of the tale goes that Hepburn was a prisoner of the Earl of March, who freed him and granted him lands for 'good and faithful service' after he saved the Earl's life from a feral (wild) horse. These lands were in East Lothian and the family spent the next several centuries aggressively acquiring new lands. 3

Early History of the Hebbourn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hebbourn research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1432, 1467, 1479, 1483, 1497, 1508, 1512, 1513, 1522, 1536, 1556, 1563, 1568, 1578, 1598, 1612, 1636, 1637 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Hebbourn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hebbourn Spelling Variations

Over the years, Hebbourn has been written It appears under these variations because medieval scribes spelled names according to sound rather than by any over-arching set of rules. Heighborne, Haybourne, Haybourn, Haybirn, Haybyrne, Heighburn, Heighbyrne, Heighbirn, Hepboyrne, Hepbirn, Hepbyrne, Hepburn, Heighbourne, Heyburn, Hebborne, Hebbourne, Hebbirn, Hebbyrne, Hebboorne and many more.

Early Notables of the Hebbourn family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (c. 1432-1479), Sheriff of Berwickshire (1467); Sir Patrick Hepburn of Dunsyre, 1st Lord Hailes (died 1483) was the feudal lord of Hailes and its castle in Haddingtonshire and a Lord of Parliament; Patrick Hepburn, Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Lord Hailes and 1st Earl of Bothwell (died 1508), Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was the eldest son of Adam, second lord Hailes, and Helen, eldest daughter of Alexander, first lord Home. 4 Patrick Hepburn third Earl of Bothwell (1512?-1556), was the only son of Adam, second earl of...
Another 210 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hebbourn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Hebbourn family to Ireland

Some of the Hebbourn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hebbourn migration to the United States +

When these Boernician-Scottish settlers arrived in North America they brought little with them and often had restart their lives from scratch. Through time, much of their heritage was lost, and it is only this century through Clan societies and highland games that many have recovered their national heritage. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Hebbourn family to immigrate North America:

Hebbourn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Hebbourn, who landed in Maryland in 1666 5


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)


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