Hoptoom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Hoptoom reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Hoptoom family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hoptoom family lived in Hopton, Shropshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "hop" + "tun" and literally means "farmstead in a small enclosed valley or enclosed plot of land." 1 There are numerous entries in the Domesday Book with various spellings: Hotune, Hopetuna, Opetune, and Hoptone. 2

Early Origins of the Hoptoom family

The surname Hoptoom was first found in Suffolk where Thomas de Hopeton was found in the Pipe Rolls of 1196. In Yorkshire, Robert de Hopton was listed in 1250 and much later, William Hopton was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1478. 3

As previously mentioned, some claim descent from Shropshire where Hopton Castle, Hopton Heath and Hopton Wafers are found. Hopton Castle built by one of the Hopton family, is located in the village of the same name and dates back to at least the 12th century as a motte and bailey.

The last Walter Hopton died during the Wars of the Roses and the castle passed by marriage to the Corbet family of Moreton Corbet castle. The Battle of Hopton Heath took place during the First English Civil War (1642-1646), on Sunday 19 March 1643 between Parliamentarian forces led by Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet and Sir William Brereton and a Royalist force.

Hopton is also located in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk and Upper Hopton is found in West Yorkshire. Hopton-on-Sea is a village, civil parish in Norfolk. Some of the family were found at Armley in the West Riding of Yorkshire at one time. "Armley House is a noble mansion of the Ionic order, situated in an extensive and richly-wooded park. The old Hall, anciently the residence of the Hoptons, lords of the manor, is now a farmhouse." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Osbert de Hopeton, Suffolk, Nicholas Hopetun, Cambridgeshire, and Ricardus de Hopetone, Norfolk. 5

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes de Hopton, Willelmus de Hopton, and Adam de Hopton. 5

Early History of the Hoptoom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoptoom research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1472, 1492, 1504, 1510, 1519, 1553, 1555, 1558, 1559, 1564, 1570, 1571, 1590, 1595, 1596, 1600, 1602, 1604, 1611, 1621, 1622, 1627, 1628, 1629, 1638, 1640, 1642, 1652, 1709, 1787 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Hoptoom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoptoom Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hopton, Hobton, Hoptone and others.

Early Notables of the Hoptoom family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was David Hopton (died 1492), Canon of Windsor from 1472 to 1492; Sir Ralph Hopton (1510-1571), of Witham, Somerset, an English politician, Member of Parliament for Somerset (1553 and 1555) and for Heytesbury in 1559; John Hopton (d. 1558), Bishop of Norwich; Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton (1596-1652), a Royalist commander in the English Civil War, Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury (1621-1622), Member...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoptoom Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hoptoom family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hoptoom name or one of its variants: Charles Hopton who settled in Barbados in 1687; another Charles Hopton settled in North Carolina in 1701; George Hopton settled in Maryland in 1679; Walven Hopton settled in Virginia in 1654..

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)