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![Show Contents]() Welsinchan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Welsinchan was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Welsinchan 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 Welsinchan familyThe surname Welsinchan 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 Welsinchan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welsinchan 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 Welsinchan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Welsinchan Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Walthingham, Walthinghame, Walsingham, Walsinghame, Walsinham, Walsincham and many more. Early Notables of the Welsinchan familyOutstanding 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...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Welsinchan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Welsinchan familyMany English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Welsinchan or a variant listed above: Thomas Walsingham who settled in Virginia in 1610; ten years before the "Mayflower"; Mr. Walsingham arrived in San Francisco Cal. in 1850.
- 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
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