Handyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Handyn family name to the British Isles. They lived in the place named Hendon, in Middlesex. The place-name is derived from an Old English expression that means at the high hill or in the valley with the deer. The place named Hendon is in the London Metropolitan area and is situated some seven miles north-west of Charing Cross. The Hendron variant is now chiefly found in County Armagh, Ireland, but it earliest origins lie in Middlesex.

Early Origins of the Handyn family

The surname Handyn was first found in Middlesex. Alternatively, the family could have originated in Endon, a township, in the parish and union of Leek, N. division of the hundred of Totmonslow in Staffordshire. 1

Early History of the Handyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Handyn research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1639 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Handyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handyn Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Hendon, Henden, Hendwn and others.

Early Notables of the Handyn family

More information is included under the topic Early Handyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Handyn family to Ireland

Some of the Handyn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Handyn family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Handyn or a variant listed above were: Susan Hendon who settled in Maryland in 1729.