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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The surname Elsome was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the village and lands of Elsham, held by Ilbert from the Bishop Bayeux, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elsome research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1700 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Elsome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Elsham, Alsham, Elsom, Elsome, Yesom, Elsam and many more.
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elsome Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.