Longe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The proud Norman name of Longe was developed in England soon after Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was name for a person who was tall, big, or lanky. 1 The English Longe family is descended from a Norman noble of Preux in Normandy. Also, known as Petrus de Longa, the family held estates in Normandy before and after the Conquest as in 1198 Emma de Longues was still listed in Normandy at that time. 2

The family name Longe became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror gave his friends and relatives most of the land formerly owned by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats.

Early Origins of the Longe family

The surname Longe was first found in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

"It has evidently more than one home, the principal one being in Wilts [(Wiltshire)] and the neighbouring county of Gloucester; there is a second in Kent, and a third in Norfolk and Suffolk and their vicinity. According to Camden, the Wiltshire Longs are descended from a very tall attendant of Lord Treasurer Hungerford. However, we know that the Longs have been established in this part of England for many centuries, since we learn from the Hundredorum Rolls that the name was numerous in Oxfordshire, as well as in Cambridgeshire, in the reign of Edward I." 3

Another source explores the story further: "one of the family of Preux, an attendant on Lord Treasurer Hungerford, from his great height, acquired the sobriquet of Long Henry. On his marriage to a lady of quality he transposed this appellation to Henry Long, and became the founder of the Longs of Wiltshire." 4

As if to underscore Bardsley's comments above, Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford (1378-1449) was made Lord High Treasurer in 1425, so the reader needs to take the rather romantic story of "Long Henry" as an oral tradition only.

In the aforementioned Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, we found early spellings of the name in various shires: Henry le Longe in Buckinghamshire; John le Longe in Huntingdonshire; and Walter le Longe in Shropshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johanna Long as residing there at that time. 5

Much further to the north in Scotland, one of the first listing there was Johannes Longus who witnessed a grant to the Hospital of Soltre, c. 1180-1214. William Longus held land near Lyntonrothrik, c. 1200 and , Adam Long appears in Dumfriesshire, c. 1259. A few years later, Gregory le Long was a burgess of Dundee in 1268 and William Long witnessed confirmation of Snawdoun to Dryburgh c. 1350. 6

Early History of the Longe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Longe research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1419, 1447, 1451, 1478, 1489, 1508, 1517, 1556, 1560, 1575, 1581, 1594, 1600, 1607, 1610, 1613, 1617, 1621, 1630, 1631, 1637, 1659, 1673, 1692, 1838 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Longe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Longe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Longe have been found, including Long, Longe and others.

Early Notables of the Longe family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Long of Draycot Cerne (c.1391-1447), an English politician; John Long of Draycot Cerne (c.1419-1478), an English politician; Sir Thomas Long of Draycot (c.1451-1508), an English politician; Sir Henry Long (ca. 1489-1556); Sir Robert Long (c. 1517-c.1581), High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1575; Sir Walter Long (1560-1610), an English knight and landowner; Sir...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Longe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Longe family to Ireland

Some of the Longe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 137 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Longe migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Longe were among those contributors:

Longe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alice Longe, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 7
Elias Longe, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 7
Nicholas Longe, who landed in Virginia in 1623 7
William Longe, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Providence" 7
Richard Longe, aged 33, who landed in Virginia in 1625 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Longe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Danial Longe, aged 19, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Longe (post 1700) +

William T. Longe, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 17th District, 1954 8

The Longe 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: Pieux quoique preux
Motto Translation: Pious although chivalrous.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html