Goreham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Goreham name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived at Gorhambury located in the county of Hertfordshire.

Early Origins of the Goreham family

The surname Goreham was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. One of the first noteworthy people of the name Gorham was Geoffrey de Gorham, sometimes called Geoffrey of Dunstable or (of Le Mans) who died at St. Alban's, 26 February 1146. He was a Norman scholar who became Abbot of St Albans Abbey from 1119 to 1146. He was from the province of Maine, in the Dukedom of Normandy and was invited by Richard d'Aubeney, Abbot of St. Alban's, to become master of the Abbey school.

Early History of the Goreham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goreham research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1776 is included under the topic Early Goreham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goreham Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Goreham were recorded, including Goreham, Gorham and others.

Early Notables of the Goreham family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir Hugh Goreham of Gorhambury

Migration of the Goreham family to Ireland

Some of the Goreham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goreham migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Goreham family emigrate to North America:

Goreham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Frances Goreham, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1683 1

Citations +

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)