Show ContentsGlemham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Glemham family

The surname Glemham was first found in Suffolk where Great Glemham is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District and Little Glemham is a small village a few miles away. Both places date back to the Domesday Book where they were listed as Glaimham which probably meant "homestead or village noted for its revelry or games," having derived from the Old English words gleam + ham. [1]

Glemham Hall is an Elizabethan stately home on the outskirts of the village of Little Glemham and was built around 1560 by the De Glemham family. [2]

Early History of the Glemham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Glemham research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1103, 1177, 1449, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1513, 1532, 1560, 1576, 1590, 1591, 1593, 1594, 1597, 1600, 1601, 1603, 1604, 1614, 1617, 1621, 1622, 1625, 1632, 1644, 1649, 1670 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Glemham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Glemham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Glenham, Glemham, Clenham, Glanham, Clanham, Glenam, Glenum, Clanam, Clenam, Gleymham, Cleynham, Gleman, Gleeman, Cleeman and many more.

Early Notables of the Glemham family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Sir Henry Glemham (died 1632) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Lewes (1593-1597), for Suffolk in 1601, for Ipswich in 1604 and for Aldeburgh (1614-1622); and his son, Sir Thomas Gle...
  • Sir Charles Glemham (born 1576) was an English courtier and politician, Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh (1621-1622) and Henry Glemham (Glenham) (c.1603-1670), was an English royalist churchman, Dea...
  • Edward Glemham (fl. 1590-1594), was an English voyager from Benhall in Suffolk who in 1590 fitted out, as owner and sole adventurer, the ship Edward and Constance, of 240 tons, in which he sailed from...

Migration of the Glemham family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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