Isens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Isens family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Isens comes from when the family lived in the parish of Isham in the county of Northampton near Kettering. "The church is an ancient edifice with a tower, and contains four Norman arches, and a curious monument." 1

Early Origins of the Isens family

The surname Isens was first found in Northamptonshire at Isham, a Saxon village and civil parish that dates back to 974 when it was listed as Ysham. By the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to the present spelling of Isham. 2 3

The place name literally means "homestead by the River Ise," having derived from the Celtic river-name + the Old English "ham" or "hamm." 4 The local church is an ancient edifice with a tower, and contains four Norman arches.

The earliest record of the family was found here "where an elder branch of the existing family, Isham of Lamport, were seated soon after the Conquest." 5

Later, Henry de Isham was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northamptonshire in 1206. 6

Early History of the Isens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Isens research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1416, 1582, 1590, 1610, 1617, 1621, 1622, 1625, 1627, 1651, 1656, 1658, 1671, 1673, 1675, 1676, 1680, 1681, 1687, 1690, 1694, 1697, 1705, 1711, 1713, 1726, 1730, 1737, 1755 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Isens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Isens Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Isens has appeared include Isham, Ison, Isom, Ipsam and others.

Early Notables of the Isens family

Distinguished members of the family include Gregory Isham of Orlingbury; John Isham (1582-1651), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, created Baronet Isham of Lamport on 30 May 1627; Sir Justinian Isham (1610-1675), 2nd Baronet Isham, English scholar and royalist politician, who was a Member of Parliament; Sir Thomas Isham II (1656-1681), 3rd Baronet of Lamport, best known for his diary which he wrote from 1671-1673 of his observations as a teenage member of the English aristocracy; Sir Justinian Isham II (1658-1730), 4th Baronet of Lamport, Member of Parliament; Sir Justinian Isham (1687-1737), 5th Baronet of Lamport; Sir Edmund Isham (1690-1772), 6th Baronet of...
Another 136 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Isens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Isens family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Isens arrived in North America very early: Henry Isham, who was on record in Virginia in 1626; Robert Isham, who came to Virginia in 1635, at age 14; Dan and Roger Isham, who both arrived in Virginia in 1629.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)