Heighbourn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

In the annals of British history, few names go farther back than Heighbourn, which started among the people of the Boernician tribe. The first family to use the name Heighbourn lived in Northumberland, in the village of Hebburn in the parish of Chillingham.

Early Origins of the Heighbourn family

The surname Heighbourn was first found in Northumberland at Hebburn, a township, in the parish of Chillingham, union of Glendale. "There are some remains of an ancient castle, built, and long occupied, by a family which took its name from the village." 1 Now part of the Tyne and Wear county, Hebburn dates back to about 1104-08 when it was first listed as Heabyrn. Literally the place name means "high burial place or tumulus," from the Old English words "heah" + "byrgen." 2 One of the first records of the name was Thomas de Heburn who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1279. 3

Early History of the Heighbourn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heighbourn research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1329, 1550, 1563, 1612 and 1660 are included under the topic Early Heighbourn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heighbourn Spelling Variations

The name, Heighbourn, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Hepburn, Heyburn, Hepborne, Hepbourne, Hepbourn and others.

Early Notables of the Heighbourn family

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

Migration of the Heighbourn family to Ireland

Some of the Heighbourn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 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 Heighbourn family

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Heighbourn surname who came to North America were: Thomas Hepburn, who settled in Baltimore in 1792; George Hepborne settled in Boston along with Anne, Rebecca, and Anna in 1635; Francis Hepbourne settled in Maryland in 1769..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)