Hedge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Hedge name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived near a hedge or enclosure. This name belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The surname Hedge was originally derived from the Old English hecg, which meant hedge. 1 2
Early Origins of the Hedge family
The surname Hedge was first found in Kent where John de la Hegge was first listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls lists Walter de la Hegge in London. 3
Edith atte Hegge was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 4
The Assize Rolls of Bedfordshire included Ailmar Hegge in 1227 and a few years later, Robert atte Hegge was listed in the Somerset in the Assize Rolls of 1256. During the reign of King Edward I, Richard de Hegges was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and later, Robert del Hegges was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. 5
"Hedges is a name that has at present its principal home in Buckinghamshire, though it also occurs in the surrounding counties of Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and Oxfordshire. Last century a family of gentry bearing this name resided at Cublington, in Buckinghamshire, and there were then others of the name in Stewkley and Whitchurch (Lips.). The name still occurs in Stewkley." 6
Early History of the Hedge family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hedge research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1296, 1599, 1629, 1632, 1649, 1701 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Hedge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hedge Spelling Variations
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hedge has undergone many spelling variations, including Hedge, Hedges, Hegges, Hegge and others.
Early Notables of the Hedge family
Notables of the family at this time include
- Robert Hegge (1599-1629) was an English academic and antiquary from Durham; and Sir Charles Hedges (1649-1714), of Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, an English lawyer and politician, judge in Admiralty Cour...
- Sir William Hedges (1632-1701), was the Irish-born, Governor of Bengal, born on 21 Oct. 1632 at Coole, co. Cork, and was the eldest son of Robert Hedges of Youghal in the same county, and Kingsdown, i...
Hedge Ranking
In the United States, the name Hedge is the 6,916th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7
Migration of the Hedge family to Ireland
Some of the Hedge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hedge migration to the United States +
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hedge were among those contributors:
Hedge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Hedge, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1634 8
- William Hedge, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1634 8
- Nich Hedge, who landed in Virginia in 1658 8
- Samuel Hedge, who settled in New Jersey in 1664 with his wife Anne
- Mary Hedge, who landed in Maryland in 1673 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hedge migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Hedge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Luke Hedge, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Charles Hedge, aged 26, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Ascendant" 10
- Charles Hedge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ascendant" in 1849 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Hedge (post 1700) +
- Cynthia Hedge Morrell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 2000 (alternate), 2004, 2008
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ascendant.htm