Hamelton Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The Hamelton family name, was a Norman name that came to Scotland from England. It is thought to derive from the village of Hamilton or Hameldune near Barkby in the county of Leicestershire. The village name comes from the Old English elements "hamel," which means "blunt," "flat-topped," or "crooked," and "dun," which means hill. There is a town of Hamilton near Glasgow, which took its name from the family, but may in turn have spawned more instances of the surname.

Hamelton Early Origins

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The surname Hamelton was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were granted lands by King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. The Clan traces its origin to the Earls of Mellent in Normandy who arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066 AD. They were granted lands in Hambleton in Buckinghamshire. Soon after, Sir William de Hambleton accepted a challenge from John de Spence. Spence was killed, drawing the wrath of King Edward II of England. Sir William fled northwards with his entourage to Scotland, hotly pursued by the king's men. With their pursuers close behind them, Sir William and his servant exchanged clothes with two wood cutters and, using their saw, they cut down a large oak tree to bridge a river. Finally, when at last the tree fell, Sir William cried 'through' and they escaped across the river over the tree. The Clan Hamilton has retained this motto since that eventful day.

Hamelton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hamilton, Hamelton, Hameldon, Hamildon, Hamylton, Hambleton and many more.

Hamelton Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamelton research. Another 315 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1333, 1392, 1296, 1495, 1520, 1504, 1528, 1528, 1563, 1637, 1575, 1658, 1580, 1659, 1623, 1600, 1640, 1626, 1669, 1650, 1685, 1610, 1674, 1633, 1655, 1666, 1650, 1701, 1719, 1604, 1670, 1636, 1668, 1607, 1679, 1646, 1720, 1663, 1715, 1707 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Hamelton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamelton Early Notables (pre 1700)

Notable among the family at this time was Sir Patrick Hamilton (d. 1520), a Scottish nobleman, and younger brother of aforementioned James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran; his son, Patrick Hamilton (c.1504-1528), Scottish Protestant martyr, charged with heresy, sentenced by Archbishop Beaton, and burned at the stake in 1528; Thomas Hamilton...

Another 211 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hamelton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamelton In Ireland

Some of the Hamelton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 305 words (22 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hamelton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Amos Hamelton, who landed in Virginia in 1650 ^[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Johan Hamelton, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1660 ^[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)

Hamelton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Hamelton, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 ^[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)

Hamelton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Hamelton, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
Robert Hamelton, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
Eliza Hamelton, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833

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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)

Other References

Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Paul, Sir James Balfour. An Ordinary of Arms Contained in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland Second Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1903. Print.
Innes, Thomas and Learney. Socts Heraldry A Practical Handbook on the Historical Principles and Modern Application of the Art of Science. London: Oliver and Boyd, 1934. Print.
Moncrieffe, Sir Ian of That Ilk and David Hicks. The Highland Clans The Dynastic Origins, Cheifs and Background of the Clans. New York: C.N. Potter, 1968. Print.
Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3).
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Burke, Sir Bernard. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry Including American Families with British Ancestry 2 Volumes. London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Scotch Irish Pioneers In Ulster and America. Montana: Kessinger Publishing. Print.
Leyburn, James Graham. The Scotch-Irish A Social History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1962. Print. (ISBN 0807842591).
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The Hamelton Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Hamelton Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 15 January 2014 at 13:27.