Hammet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Hammet family

The surname Hammet was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Waltham held by a steward of the King who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Hammet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hammet research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1327 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Hammet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hammet Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hammetr, Hammett, Hamet, Hamat, Hammatt, Hammat and others.

Early Notables of the Hammet family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Hammet family of Berkshire

Hammet migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hammet or a variant listed above:

Hammet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Frantz Hammet, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1768 2
William Hammet, who arrived in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1793

Hammet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Hammet, who settled in Philadelphia in 1809
Frances Hammet, who settled in Philadelphia in 1819
C. H. Hammet, who settled in Boston or Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1820

Hammet migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hammet Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sydney Hammet, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sydenham" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Hammet (post 1700) +

Seth Hammet, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 2004 3
Melanie Hammet, American songwriter/singer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html