Mottram History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Mottram is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Mottram family lived in Cheshire at Mottram St. Andrew, a small village and parish that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Motre, but later listed as Motromandreus in 1351. The place name possibly meant "speaker's place" or "place where meetings are held" from the Old English motere + rum. 1 More recently, it is home to Mottram Hall, a house built around 1750. Mottram in Longdendale is a village in Greater Manchester. It is one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire and dates back at least 1242.

Early Origins of the Mottram family

The surname Mottram was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Mottram at the time of the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066 A.D. Conjecturally they are descended from Gamal whose father held the Lordship from Earl Hugh Bigod, the Chief tenant. Mottram was classed as a Hawk's eyrie at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 A.D. The village is now two villages, Mottram St. Andrew and Mottram Cross. There is now a Mottram Old Hall. The name also became Mottershead about the 16th century, branching away but retaining the same Coat of Arms.

The earliest record of the family was John de Mottrum who was listed in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1287. 2

Early East Cheshire records revealed John de Mottrum and Adam de Mottrum as both holding lands there in 1376. 3

And an Adam de Mottrum was gaoler of Macclesfield and bailiff of the forest there in the middle of the 14th century (1301-1360.) 4

Early History of the Mottram family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mottram research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1564, 1565, 1595, 1605, 1678, 1688, 1715 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Mottram History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mottram Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Mottram, Mottrame, Motram, Motramm, Motteram, Mottvane, Mottershead, Mottishead, Mottishitt and many more.

Early Notables of the Mottram family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Samuel Mottram of Thorpe Hall

Mottram migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Mottram or a variant listed above:

Mottram Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Mottram and William who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856

Mottram Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Theresa Mottram, aged 24, originally from Cheshire, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 5
William Mottram, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Toloa" from Liverpool via Brest 5
Annie Mottram, aged 28, originally from Manchester, England, who arrived in New York City, New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Southampton, England 5
Elsie Mottram, aged 15, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Saxonia" from London, England 5
Catherine Mottram, aged 37, originally from Oldham, England, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mottram migration to Australia +

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

Mottram Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Mottram, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Henry Mottram, Welsh convict who was convicted in Montgomery, Powys, Wales for life, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Mottram, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Miss Ellen Mottram, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 11th February 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Mottram (post 1700) +

Mr. Thomas Henry Mottram, English coal miner manager working in Baddesley coal mine in Warwickshire on 2nd May 1882, he was awarded the Albert Medal for lifesaving
Eric Mottram (1924-1995), English teacher, critic, editor and poet
Ralph Hale Mottram (1883-1971), English novelist
Sir Richard Mottram (b. 1946), Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience for the U.K
Vernon Mottram, Professor of Physiology, London University
Mrs. Heidi Mottram C.B.E., O.B.E., British Chief Executive Officer for Northumbrian Water Group, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to the Water Industry and to Business Community 10
Anthony "Tony" John Mottram (1920-2016), British tennis player who reached the final of the 1947 Wimbledon Championships, father of Buster Mottram
Christopher "Buster" Mottram (b. 1955), former British tennis player, once ranked UK number 1 and World No. 15 in February 1983
Craig Mottram (b. 1980), Australian long distance and middle distance runner
Professor Don Mottram (b. 1945), British flavour chemist

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists