The name Herpingghan arrived in
England after the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Herpingghan family lived in
Norfolk. The name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the
Norman Conquest of
England in 1066,
Herpingham, Normandy.
Early Origins of the Herpingghan family
The surname Herpingghan was first found in
Norfolk where they were conjecturally descended from Roger Bigod, one of the most distinguished of all Norman nobles, who was granted the lands by King William, Duke of
Normandy after the
Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D, and was a junior branch of the Bigots. The village of Erpingham or anciently Herpincham consisted largely of a church and cottages, and was recorded in the
Domesday Book in 1086. "The church, which is in the decorated and later English styles, with a lofty embattled tower, was repaired in 1841; in the south aisle is a brass effigy of a knight in armour, to the memory of Sir John de Erpingham, a great contributor towards the erection of the church."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Herpingghan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herpingghan research.
Another 173 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herpingghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Herpingghan 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 Erpingham, Erpincham, Herpingham, Herpincham, Empringham and many more.
Early Notables of the Herpingghan family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Herpingghan Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Herpingghan family to the New World and Oceana
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 Herpingghan or a variant listed above were: Thomas Erpingham settled in Barbados in 1685.