Holtham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Holtham is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in one of the settlements called Holton in the counties of Dorset, Suffolk and Somerset. The surname Holtham belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Holtham family

The surname Holtham was first found in the Isle of Wight where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

The family later settled in Wiltshire in the reign of James I (1567-1625) and held Farley Castle there at that time. Rev. Robert Houlton of Milton, Clevedon, Somerset, the promoter of the Suttonian method of variolation was a descendant of this line.

Early History of the Holtham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holtham research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1700, 1720 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Holtham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holtham Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Holtham has been spelled many different ways, including Houlton, Holton and others.

Early Notables of the Holtham family

Notables of the family at this time include Jospeh Houlton Esq., of Trowbridge, (died 1720) High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1696, her purchased from the Hungerford family in 1700...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holtham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holtham migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Holthams to arrive in North America:

Holtham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Holtham, aged 19, who landed in Maryland in 1684 1

Holtham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Holtham, aged 42, who arrived in Connecticut in 1812 1

Holtham 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:

Holtham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Holtham, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1836

Historic Events for the Holtham family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Bryan Ernest Holtham (1944-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 2

The Holtham 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: Semper fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

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)
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx