Hisy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hisy

What does the name Hisy mean?

The name Hisy is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the village and township of Hessay, which is in the parish of Moor Monkton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Hisy 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 Hisy family

The surname Hisy was first found in West Yorkshire at Hessay, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Hesdesai. 1

By the 12th century, the place name had evolved to Heslesaia and literally meant "marshland or island where hazels grow," from the Old English words "haesel" + "sae" + "eg." 2

A search through early rolls showed: Robert de Hessey in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1208 and Robert de Hessay in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. 3 (These entries may be for the same person)

The Hundredorum Rolls for 1273 proved the widespread use of the name in early times as a search found John de Hesey, Cambridgeshire and Henry Hesee, Salop (Shropshire) as both holding lands in their respective shires.

Sewal de Hessay was listed as a Freeman of York, 2 Edward I (during the second year of the reign of King Edward I.) Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hessay, Robertus de Hessay and Nicholaus de Hessay, of Hessay. 4

Early History of the Hisy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hisy research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1272, 1273, 1307, 1379, 1773, 1780, 1785, 1786, 1814, 1818, 1870 and 1892 are included under the topic Early Hisy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hisy Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Hisy are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Hisy include: Hessey, Hessy, Hessay, Hesee, Hesey and others.

Early Notables of the Hisy family

James Augustus Hessey (1785-1870), an English publisher who co-founded the publishing company Taylor and Hessey with John Taylor. James was an acquaintance of John Keats, one of the principal poets of the English Romantic movement as Keats wrote a letter to him on October 9, 1818. James was the son of James Hessey (gent.) who had purchased...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hisy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hisy family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hisy or a variant listed above: Daniel Hessey, who sailed to Philadelphia, Pa. in 1840.

Sources +

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)