Newsume History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Newsume is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in one of the various places called Newsham, Newsam, or Newsholme. These names are common in the north of England and all mean at the new houses. The surname Newsume belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname Newsume belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The name is derived from the Old English words niwe + hus which are an earlier form of niwum or husum which means "place at the new houses". 1

Early Origins of the Newsume family

The surname Newsume was first found in West Yorkshire where the village of Newsome can still be found today, located about 1 mile south of Huddersfield. Newsholme is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire and a township named Newsholm is found in the parish of Gisburne, near Clitheroe in the West Rising of Yorkshire. There are numerous entries in the Domesday Book using the spellings: Neuhusum, Newhusum, Neuhuse and others 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Willelmus de Newsom, dwelling at Newsholm; Alicia de Neusom; and Willelmus de Newsome. 3

Newsham Abbey was an abbey in Newsham, a small hamlet north of Brocklesby village in Lincolnshire. The abbey was the first Premonstratensian house established in England, in 1143. It was suppressed in 1536, and today parts of the abbey are visible as earthworks.

Early History of the Newsume family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newsume research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1721 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Newsume History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newsume Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Newsume family name include Newsham, Newsam, Newsone, Newson, Newsholme, Newsun and many more.

Early Notables of the Newsume family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newsume Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Newsume family to Ireland

Some of the Newsume family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Newsume family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Newsume surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James and Elizabeth Newsom, who came to Virginia in 1642; Leonard Newsham, who settled in Virginia in 1663; William Newsham, who came to Boston in 1680.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)