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Hemmings History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hemmings History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The noble Viking settlers who came to the rocky shores of Scotland in the Middle Ages brought with them the ancestors of the Hemmings family. They lived in the Orkneys, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Hemmings family

The surname Hemmings was first found in the Orkneys, where "Hemming was one of the witnesses to the charter by King Duncan 11 to the monks of S. Cuthbert in 1094, the earliest Scottish charter." 1

It is presumed that some of the family moved south to England, as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Hemmeng, Suffolk; John Hemming, Oxfordshire; and John Hemmyng, Kent. 2

The Latin form of the name Hemmingus was listed in the Domesday Book. 3

Hemming (fl. 1096), was an early English chronicler and was sub-prior of Worcester during the episcopate of Bishop Wulstan (d. 1096), at whose request he compiled the chartulary of the church of Worcester, still extant in Hemming's autograph in MS. Cotton. 4

Hemming de Welega was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1166 and later, Walter, William Hemming was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Somerset in 1170. 5

"Hemming or Heming, a name having its present home in the Evesham district, is an Anglo - Saxon Clan name. It was well known in Worcester in the 17th century, Richard Heming being the name of the mayor of the city in 1627 and 1657, and John Heming in 1677 (G.); the name is still in that city. One of the name was buried in Tenbury church in 1691 (N.). It is also now represented in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, sometimes in the form of Hemmings." 6

Early History of the Hemmings family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hemmings research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1602, 1623, 1630, 1653, 1677, 1684, 1695, 1700 and 1945 are included under the topic Early Hemmings History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemmings Spelling Variations

Scottish names from the Middle Ages vary enormously in their spellings. This is a result of the fact that there were no universal standards like dictionaries for scribes to judge by. The recorded spelling variations of the name Hemmings include Hemming, Heming, Hemming, Hemmings, Hemyng and others.

Early Notables of the Hemmings family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was John Heminges (sometimes spelled Heming or Heminge) (1566-1630), an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. He was also co-editor of the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623 and financial manager for the King's Men. A memorial statue of him can be found in London.William Heminges (1602-c.1653), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hemmings Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hemmings migration to the United States +

Settlers found farms all along the eastern part of what would become the United States and Canada. They provided a base and a backbone that would strengthen two great nations in the making. In the 20th century, the ancestors of those brave Scots have rediscovered their heritage through highland games and Scottish historical societies. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Hemmings or a variant listed above, including:

Hemmings Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Hemmings, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 7
William J Hemmings, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 7

Hemmings migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hemmings Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Henry Hemmings, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Hemmings migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hemmings Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Hemmings, British Convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Eliza Hemmings, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Norman"
James Hemmings, aged 26, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Henry Moore"

Hemmings 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:

Hemmings Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Hemmings, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Frank Hemmings, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 9
Joseph Hemmings, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
Mary Hemmings, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
Richard Hemmings, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hemmings (post 1700) +

John Hemmings (1776-1833), (also spelled Hemings), American slave born at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; he became a highly skilled carpenter and woodworker; he was freed in 1826 by Jefferson's will and given the tools to the joinery
Fred Hemmings, American politician, Member of Hawaii State Senate 25th District; Elected 2000, 2002
Myra Lillian Davis Hemmings (1895-1968), American actress and teacher, founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
David Hemmings (1941-2003), English film actor and director
Trevor James Hemmings CVO (1935-2021), British billionaire businessman who owned Preston North End F.C., Northern Trust Co. Ltd, Classic Lodges Ltd. and Trust Inns Ltd
Nolan Hemmings (b. 1970), English stage and film actor
Anthony "Tony" Hemmings (b. 1967), English professional footballer
Guy Hemmings (b. 1962), Canadian curler
Edward Ernest "Eddie" Hemmings (b. 1949), former English cricketer
Deon Hemmings (b. 1968), former Olympic female 400 meter hurdler

Historic Events for the Hemmings family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Bertie Hemmings (b. 1896), English Engine Room Artificer 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 10

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. William Henry Hemmings (b. 1888), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm