Show ContentsFullgames History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Fullgames family has descended through the lines of the ancient Normans that came to England following their Conquest of England in 1066. The Fullgames name reveals that an early member was a person who had a limp, or a malformed leg. The name was originally derived from the Old French fol, which means foolish, and jambe, which means leg. Such names are often attributed to people in jest. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nicknames often referred or alluded to a physical feature. Unfortunately, on some occasions the tradition emphasized a physical deformity or injury in a way that would be considered cruel today, however, at the time this practice was meant only to identify a person by a distinguishing characteristic.

Early Origins of the Fullgames family

The surname Fullgames was first found in Derbyshire where by the early 11th and 12th centuries the name was already well established in the Peak District and was one of the marauding families of the East Cheshire and Derbyshire forests which were controlled by Sir George Vernon, known as the 'King of the Peak'.

In the 13th century, Sir Thomas Foljambe was Bailiff of the High Peak. These Cheshire and Derbyshire families provided the core of Knights and fighting men for the wars in France during that time.

Sir Godfrey de Foljambe (1317-1376) was a prominent landowner and politician from Derbyshire, the fourth son of Sir Thomas de Foljambe. At that time, the family were Lords of the Manor of Tideswell and also held lands at Darley Dale. Godfrey rose to become an Irish judge and served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. His tomb can still be seen at All Saints Church, Bakewell.

Foulsham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Folsham and literally meant "farmstead of a man called Fugol" from the Old English personal name + ham. 1

The village gave its name to a family of Puritan dissidents who fled England to America to settle in Hingham, Massachusetts, where they frequently changed their name to Folsom.

Early History of the Fullgames family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fullgames research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1626, 1633 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Fullgames History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fullgames Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Fullgames family name include Foljambe, Foljambes, Folgambe, Folgambes, Folyambe, Folyambes, Fuljame, Fuljames, Fulgambe, Fulgambes, Fulljames, Fullgames, Folljames, Foliambe, Fuliambe, Foliam, Fuliam, Foliams and many more.

Early Notables of the Fullgames family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fullgames Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fullgames family

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Fullgames family to immigrate North America: William Foliam who landed in North America in 1763; William Foljambe, who was naturalized in Allegheny Co. PA in 1854.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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