Hesom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Hesom came from the son of Heysham.In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Hesom family

The surname Hesom was first found in Lancashire, at Heysham, a coastal village near Lancaster. The village dates back to the Domesday Book 1 when it was listed there as Hessam derived from the Old English words haes + ham and meant "homestead or village among the brushwood" 2

"Under the Normans, the manor of Heysham, anciently Hessam, was held by the service of cornage, where the lord was bound by his tenure to meet the king on the borders of the county, with his horn and a white wand, introducing him into the county, and attending him on his departure. From this tenure, it is probable that a branch of the family, de Hessam." 3

Today the village is a thriving community, but historically the ancient St. Patrick's Chapel, close to St. Peter's Church holds stone graves in the ruins and is home to many Saxon and Viking remains. The church itself contains an ancient Viking hogback stone. According to legend, St. Patrick landed here after crossing from Ireland and established the chapel.

Early History of the Hesom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hesom research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1682, 1697, 1700, 1702, 1704, 1714, 1723, 1724, 1733 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Hesom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hesom Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hesom family name include Heysham, Haysom, Hessam, Heshen and others.

Early Notables of the Hesom family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Helsham (1682?-1738), "friend of Swift, was born probably in 1682 at Leggatsrath, co. Kilkenny. He was educated at Kilkenny College, entered Trinity College, Dublin, 18 July 1697, obtained a scholarship in 1700, graduated B.A. in 1702, was elected fellow in 1704, and was co-opted a senior fellow in 1714. He was lecturer in mathematics 1723-30, and was the first to hold the professorship of natural philosophy...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hesom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hesom family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hesom surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Heysham, who sailed to Pennsylvania in 1773; and Michael Heshen to Philadelphia in 1858.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.