Sidenghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Sidenghan has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the parish of Sydenham found in the counties of Devon, Oxfordshire and Somerset. 1 2 These place-names were derived from the Old English terms sid meaning wide and hamm meaning water meadow. 3

Sidenghan is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape or area were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sidenghan were named due to their close proximity to the wide water meadow.

Early Origins of the Sidenghan family

The surname Sidenghan was first found in Northumberland where Ascelin de Sidenham was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1202. Later, Walter de Sydenham was found in the Feet of Fines for Oxford in 1284 and John Sydenham in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. Later again, Richards Sydenham was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1384. 4

Early Somerset records show John de Sydenham, 1 Edward; and Simon de Sidenham, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

Early History of the Sidenghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sidenghan research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1224, 1418, 1429, 1431, 1438, 1615, 1620, 1624, 1628, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1654, 1661, 1669, 1671, 1676, 1679, 1689, 1696 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Sidenghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sidenghan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Sidenghan have been found, including Sydenham, Sidenham, Sydenhame, Sidenhame and others.

Early Notables of the Sidenghan family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Simon Sydenham (died 1438), medieval Dean of Salisbury (1418-1431) and Bishop of Chichester (1429-1438); Sir John Sydenham, 1st Baronet of Brimpton, Somerset (c. 1620-1643); Sir John Sydenham, 2nd Baronet of Brimpton (1643-1696) Member of Parliament for Somerset (1669-1679); Sir Philip Sydenham, 3rd Baronet of Brimpton (c. 1676-1739) Member of Parliament for Ilchester; Sir Ralph Sydenham (died 1671), an English politician who...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sidenghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sidenghan family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Sidenghan, or a variant listed above: Richard Sidenham, who arrived in Barbados in 1670; Mary Sydenham, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; William Sydenham, a servant sent to Virginia in 1674.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.