Anscomb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Anscomb begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the village of Hanscombe, in the county of Bedfordshire. The village name comes from an Old English personal name Han, and the Old English word camp, meaning "enclosed land."

Early Origins of the Anscomb family

The surname Anscomb was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Anscomb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anscomb research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1255 and 1634 are included under the topic Early Anscomb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anscomb 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 Anscomb has undergone many spelling variations, including Handscomb, Hanscomb, Hanscombe, Handscombe, Handcome, Hanscom, Handscom, Hanscome and many more.

Early Notables of the Anscomb family

Distinguished members of the family include

Alan Hanscombe, a prominent landholder

Migration of the Anscomb family

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 Anscomb were among those contributors: Thomas Hanscombe, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1635; Robert Hanscome, who sailed to Virginia in 1643; and Elizabeth Henchombe to Virginia in 1719..

Contemporary Notables of the name Anscomb (post 1700) +

Helen Anscomb, Canadian political candidate for the Truro by-election, 1987
Herbert Bertie Anscomb (1892-1972), Canadian provincial politician, Leader of the British Columbia Conservative Party in 1946, Mayor of Victoria (1928-1931)