Walsingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Walsingham family lived in Norfolk, at Little Walsingham or Great Walsingham. "This place, which is also called Old Walsingham, was formerly of considerable importance. " 1 Regarding Little Walsingham, "this place, sometimes denominated New Walsingham, was of great celebrity, for many centuries, as possessing a shrine of the Virgin, or Our Lady of Walsingham, founded in 1061 by the widow of Ricoldie Faverches, whose son, Sir Galfridus, confirmed her endowment, and established a monastery for Augustine canons." 1

Early Origins of the Walsingham family

The surname Walsingham was first found in Norfolk at Walsingham where the first of this name was a chronicler of Normandy and of Norman nobility, William of Walthingham, who appears in connection with the church of Pictariville in Normandy about the year 990. Another family seat was found at Barnes in Surrey. "Elizabeth granted the manorhouse to Sir Francis Walsingham, who, in 1589, entertained that sovereign and her court here." 1

One of the first records of the family was John Walsingham or Walsingam (d. 1340?), the English theologian, said to have been educated at the house of the Carmelites or White Friars at Burnham, Norfolk. Later, Thomas Walsingham (d. 1422) was a monk and historian, believed to have been a native of Norfolk. 2

Early History of the Walsingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walsingham research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1462, 1490, 1532, 1540, 1550, 1561, 1573, 1590, 1614, 1621, 1630, 1640, 1668 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Walsingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walsingham Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Walthingham, Walthinghame, Walsingham, Walsinghame, Walsinham, Walsincham and many more.

Early Notables of the Walsingham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Edmund Walsingham (1490?-1550), lieutenant of the Tower of London, was elder son of James Walsingham (1462-1540)
Sir Francis Walsingham (c. 1532-1590), principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until his death, popularly remembered as her "spymaster"
Sir Thomas Walsingham (c. 1561-1630), courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe
Sir Thomas Walsingham (died 1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1640
Edward Walsingham (died 1668), an English Royalist author, known for his verse of the First English Civil War and Arcana Aulica

Walsingham migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Walsingham or a variant listed above:

Walsingham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Walsingham, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 3
Thomas Walsingham who settled in Virginia in 1610
Francis Johnson Walsingham, who landed in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1648 3
Edwin Walsingham, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 3

Walsingham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Walsingham arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850

Contemporary Notables of the name Walsingham (post 1700) +

Sir Thomas Thomas Walsingham (1561-1630), courtier to Queen Elizabeth I
Thomas Walsingham (d. 1422), English chronicler and monk
Sir Francis Walsingham (1532-1590), best remembered as the "spymaster" of Queen Elizabeth I of England

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)