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![Show Contents]() Hammetton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Anglo-Saxon name Hammetton comes from when the family resided 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 Hammetton familyThe surname Hammetton 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 Hammetton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hammetton research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1629 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Hammetton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hammetton Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hammetton has been recorded under many different variations, including Hamerton, Hammerton and others. Early Notables of the Hammetton familyAnother 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hammetton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Hammetton familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hammetton or a variant listed above: James, George, Helen, John, Mary, and William Hamerton all arrived in Philadelphia in 1820.
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.
- 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.
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