Frensham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Frensham

What does the name Frensham mean?

Frensham is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Frensham family lived in Norfolk, at Great Fransham or Little Fransham, parishes in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch. Little Fransham's old Hall, "now a farmhouse, contains a room in which Queen Elizabeth is said to have slept one night, when on a tour through Norfolk." 1

Bother parishes date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were one and known as Frandesham. 2 At this time Fransham consisted of 3 mills.

Early Origins of the Frensham family

The surname Frensham was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of the village of Fransham. The village of Fransham in 1086 was held by Gilbert from William de Warenne, the overlord whose line later became the Dukes of Warwick. Conjecturally, the Fransham name is directly descended from Gilbert, who was probably the son or nephew of William of Warenne. William, Count of Warren in Normandy, was a great friend and trusted companion of Duke William, the Conqueror of England in 1066. He married Gundreda, daughter of Queen Matilda. William, who fought at the Battle of Hastings, was one of the nobles who ruled England when Duke William returned to Normandy from time to time.

Early History of the Frensham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frensham research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1273, 1334, 1660, 1730, 1743 and 1810 are included under the topic Early Frensham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frensham Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Fransham, Francham, Frensham, Frenchum, Franchum, Franchem, Franshem, Frencham, Franchomme and many more.

Early Notables of the Frensham family

John Fransham (1730-1810), English freethinker, son of Thomas and Isidora Fransham. "He showed precocity at an elementary school. He wrote sermons, which the rector of St. George's thought good enough to submit to the dean. The aid of a relative, probably Isaac Fransham (1660-1743), an attorney, enabled him to study for the church. His relative dying, Fransham, at...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frensham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frensham migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Frensham or a variant listed above were:

Frensham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Frensham, who arrived in Virginia in 1728 3

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)