Heydent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Heydent is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Heydent family once lived in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements called Heydon were found in Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Cambridge and Norfolk both had places called Heydon, and Haydon Bridge was in Northumberland. The surname Heydent belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Heydent family

The surname Heydent was first found in Norfolk, where Sir Thomas de Heydon (circa 1185-1250) was on record as a judge, who was given the office of "Justice of Eyre," under a provision in the Magna Carta. His son, William de Heydon, remained in Norfolk, continuing the line that obtained estates at Heydon and Baconsthorpe. A younger son of Sir Thomas, Johannes (John) de Heydon, settled in Devon in the 13th century beginning a well known Devon branch of this family name.

Edmund of Hadenham (fl. 1307), the early English chronicler, "was a monk of Rochester, to whom is ascribed, on the authority of William Lambard, the Kentish topographer, a historical work preserved in the Cottonian Library (Nero, D. II.) in the British Museum. This manuscript, according to Wharton, contains a chronicle in one handwriting down to 1307, which is a copy of Matthew of Westminster, excepting that it contains a number of interspersed notices relating to the history of Rochester. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Haydon, or Heydon, Yorkshire; John de Haydon, Somerset; and Agnes de Heydone, Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Heydent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heydent research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1280, 1303, 1327, 1479, 1503, 1574, 1583, 1586, 1623, 1629, 1651, 1653, 1656, 1658, 1667, 1669, 1723 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Heydent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heydent 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 Heydent family name include Hayden, Haydon, Hadenham and others.

Early Notables of the Heydent family

Distinguished members of the family include John Haidon (d. 1583) Sheriff of London; John Heydon (1629-c. 1667), English philosopher and Rosicrucian (a legendary and secretive Order); as well as Sir John Heydon, English, Governor of Bermuda in 1669. George Heyden (fl. 1723), was an English composer and organist at the church of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey. On 6 January 1746 he was elected a member of the Madrigal Society. 1 Sir Henry Heydon (d. 1503), was a country gentleman, belonged to an old family seated at Heydon in Norfolk. As early as the thirteenth century one of the family resided in Norfolk, and...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heydent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heydent family to Ireland

Some of the Heydent family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 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 Heydent family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Heydent surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Hayden settled in New England in 1630; another John settled in Virginia in 1670; Samuel Hayden settled in New England in 1666; Thomas Hayden settled in Virginia in 1654.

The Heydent Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ferme en foy
Motto Translation: Strong in faith.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)