Hamerton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Hamerton name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Hamerton or Hammerton. Hamerton is found in Cambridgeshire, and Hammerton, Green Hammerton, and Kirk Hammerton are in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-names are of the same derivation, though. They are derived from the Old English words hamer, which meant hammer, and tun, which meant farm. The place-name as a whole indicated a "farm where there is a smithy." Green Hammerton indicated the presence of a village green in that place; a place where the village would gather for social events. Kirk Hammerton indicated the presence of a church; kirkja is an Old Scandinavian word for church.

Early Origins of the Hamerton family

The surname Hamerton was first found in Yorkshire where the family is "one of the most ancient families in the North of England, descended from Richard de Hameron, who lived in the twenty-sixth of Henry II., anno 1170." 1 During the reign of Edward III, the family acquired Hellifield in Yorkshire where they still reside today. 2 "A chantry was founded [in the parish of Slaidburn in the West Riding of Yorkshire] in 1332, by Stephen de Hamerton, in the chapel of St. Mary then existing on his manor of Hamerton, for a secular chaplain to celebrate mass for the repose of the souls of himself, his father, and his mother." 3

Early History of the Hamerton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamerton research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1629 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Hamerton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamerton Spelling Variations

Only 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 Hamerton has undergone many spelling variations, including Hamerton, Hammerton and others.

Early Notables of the Hamerton family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hamerton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamerton migration to the United States +

To 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 Hamerton were among those contributors:

Hamerton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pinchback Hamerton, who arrived in Virginia in 1729 4

Hamerton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, George, Helen, John, Mary, and William Hamerton all, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1820

Hamerton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hamerton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Hamerton, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamerton (post 1700) +

Robert Gerald Hamerton -Kelly (1938-2013), South African-born, American Christian theologian, ordained United Methodist pastor and ethics scholar
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1834-1894), English artist and art critic and author
Greg Hamerton (b. 1973), South African fantasy novelist

The Hamerton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fixus adversa sperno
Motto Translation: I firmly despise adversity.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809