Heighment is one of the names that was brought to England in the wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Heighment family lived in Warwickshire. The Hayman, however, does not refer to that area, but is a topographical reference to an enclosure of some sort. The name was originally derived from the Old English word haye, which meant enclosure. [1]
Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational one that referred to "the hayman" or seller of hay. [2]
The surname Heighment was first found in Warwickshire where one of the first records of the name was Walter Heyman who was listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heighment research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1629, 1618, 1580, 1641, 1580, 1610, 1658, 1640, 1653, 1642, 1723, 1690, 1742, 1708, 1776 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Heighment History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Heighment include Hayman, Heyman and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Hayman (1575-1629), English poet from Newton Abbot, Devon, colonist and Proprietary Governor of Bristol's Hope colony in Newfoundland. He was the eldest of nine children. His father, Nicholas Hayman, was a prosperous citizen and later mayor and MP of both Totnes and Dartmouth. Hayman was appointed the Newfoundland colony's first and only governor in 1618 when Bristol's Society of Merchant Venturers received a charter from King James I of England to establish the settlement. Hayman lived in the colony for fifteen months, primarily in Harbour Grace, before returning to England.
Sir Peter Heyman...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heighment Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Heighment family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Heighments to arrive on North American shores: William Hayman settled in Barbados in 1634; Captain Hayman settled in Boston in 1765; William Hayman arrived in Philadelphia in 1774; Lambert Haymen settled in Philadelphia in 1875..