Show ContentsChambon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the ancestors of the Chambon family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, they brought their name with them. It is a name for a professional champion. In the Middle Ages a common manner of settling disputes was through trial by combat. Thus, proficient fighters would sell their services to represent parties involved in such cases by fighting on their behalf. The word derives from the Anglo Norman French word, campion, of the same meaning. [1]

We found this interesting passage that explores the "champion" aspect in more detail: "In the ordeal by battle, in criminal cases, the accuser and the accused took the field themselves, but in disputes about the ownership of land, the actual parties to the suit were represented by 'champions', in theory their free tenants, but in practice, hired men, professional champions, and very well paid. In 1294 the Dean and Chapter of Southwell incurred a prospective liability of about £750 in modern money in hiring a champion to fight a duel to settle a law-suit about the advowson of a church. A pugil or champion was a regular member of the household of more than one medieval bishop, Thomas Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford (1275-1282), paying his champion, Thomas de Bruges, a salary of half a mark a year." [2]

Early Origins of the Chambon family

The surname Chambon was first found in Hampshire where Herbert Campion was listed at Winton in 1148. A few years later, Geoffrey Champiun was found in Northumberland 1154-1169 and later again, Roger le Campion was found in the Pipe Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1197. In Suffolk, William le Champion was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1220. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include Beatrix le Campiun, Cambridgeshire; John Campiown, Huntingdonshire; and Walter le Campion, Buckinghamshire were listed as holding lands at that time. A few years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Simon Campion and Ricardus Campion. [3]

Further to the north in Scotland, Nicholas Champion of Berwick rendered homage to King Edward I in 1291, and again as Nicol Campyon of Berwickshire in 1296. [4]

Early History of the Chambon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chambon research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1291, 1296, 1540, 1569, 1578, 1581, 1590, 1595, 1599, 1602, 1607, 1608, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1624, 1640, 1659, 1665, 1689, 1698, 1701 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Chambon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chambon 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 Campion, Champion and others.

Early Notables of the Chambon family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Campion (1540-1581), English Jesuit, son of a citizen and bookseller of London. During his illustrious career, he mingled with royalty many times but is most famous for his book The History of Ireland." [5]William Campion alias Wigmore (1599-1665), was another Jesuit, "a native of Herefordshire, entered the Society of Jesus at Watten, near St. Omer, in 1624, and became a professed father in 1640. " [5]Thomas Campion (d. 1619), was an early "physician, poet, and musician, was probably...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chambon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chambon Ranking

In France, the name Chambon is the 459th most popular surname with an estimated 9,500 people with that name. [6]

Ireland Migration of the Chambon family to Ireland

Some of the Chambon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 143 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Chambon 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 Chambon or a variant listed above:

Chambon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Gedeon Chambon, who landed in Virginia in 1714 [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Chambon (post 1700) +

  • August Z. Chambon, American politician, Burgess of Donora, Pennsylvania, 1953-56 [8]
  • François Chambon, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [9]


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) François Chambon. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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