Greanown History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe lineage of the name Greanown begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the chapelry of Greeham in the parish of Thatcham in the county of Berkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English Greenham, which refers to either a green river-bed or a green homestead. 1 Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Greenham, a tything, in the parish of Ashbrittle, union of Wellington, hundred of Milverton in Somerset. 2 Greenan Castle is a 16th century tower house, around 2.5 miles south-west of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland Early Origins of the Greanown familyThe surname Greanown was first found in Somerset, where Simon de Gryndham was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1268. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph de Greneham, Suffolk and Ralph de Grenham was also listed in Suffolk, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III. 4 Early History of the Greanown familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greanown research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1535, 1559, 1564, 1567, 1594 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Greanown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Greanown Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Greanown has undergone many spelling variations, including Greenham, Greenam, Greenum and others. Early Notables of the Greanown familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Ralph Greenham of Suffolk; and Richard Greenham or Grenham (1535?-1594), an early Puritan Minister, at Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire. He "was probably born about 1535, and went at an... Migration of the Greanown family to IrelandSome of the Greanown family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Greanown familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Greanown were among those contributors: Richard Greenham who settled in New England in 1768.
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