Hornblower History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Hornblower can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a name for a person who was employed as a hornblower. In the Middle Ages, workmen were often summoned to work by the blowing of a horn. The surname Hornblower is derived from the Old English word hornblawere, which means hornblower. 1

"In the Middle Ages workmen were called to work by the ringing of bells or by a horn. In 1320, at Caernarvon, Walter de la Grene was paid 1d. per week ‘for blowing the horn’ " 2

"Cornage is a law term (Latin cornagium) for a species of tenure in grand segjeanty, 'the service of which was to blow a horn when any invasion of the Scots was perceived; and by this tenure many persons held their lands northward, about the wall, commonly called the Pict's Wall.' The person who performed this duty for the lord, probably acquired the surname. At Ripon there prevails a peculiar custom, 'which according to some is of a date prior to the Conquest, viz., to blow a horn every night at nine o'clock; and formerly if any house or shop was robbed between that hour and sunrise the loss was made good to the sufferer, by a yearly tax of fourpence, imposed on every house-keeper. The tax is now discontinued, but the custom is still kept up of blowing the horn every night, three times at the mayor's door, and three times at the market-cross. The officer who performs this duty is called the Horn-blower.' " 3

Early Origins of the Hornblower family

The surname Hornblower was first found in Essex, where John and Geoffrey le Homblauere were listed in 1255 and in the Assize Rolls for 1285. Adam Horneblawer was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. 2

The fictional courageous and a skilled seaman Horatio Hornblower is the protagonist in over twenty series of novels and stories by the English novelist, C.S. Forester (1899-1966).

Early History of the Hornblower family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hornblower research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1255, 1285, 1608, 1626, 1692, 1712, 1717, 1725, 1729, 1745, 1748, 1753, 1761, 1765, 1766, 1780 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Hornblower History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hornblower Spelling Variations

Hornblower has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Hornblower have been found, including Hornblow, Hornblower, Horneblow, Horneblower and others.

Early Notables of the Hornblower family

Distinguished members of the family include

Jonathan Hornblower (1717-1780), engineer, belonged to a family which for two generations had shown much inventive genius. "His father, Joseph Hornblower (1692?-1761), born at Broseley, Shropshire, ma...

Hornblower migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Hornblowers to arrive on North American shores:

Hornblower Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Josiah Hornblower, who immigrated to America in 1753

Hornblower Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J H Hornblower, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Hornblower migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hornblower Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hornblower, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 25th January 1851, en route to Adelaide 5
Mrs. Hornblower, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 25th January 1851, en route to Adelaide 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hornblower (post 1700) +

Joseph C Hornblower, American architect, whose work includes the U.S. National Museum
William Hornblower (1851-1914), 19th century American lawyer appointed to propose amendments to the New York constitution
Simon Hornblower Ph.D. (b. 1949), British Professor of Classics and Ancient History at University College London
Jonathan Carter Hornblower (1753-1815), British pioneer of steam power

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Argus News Paper 27th January 1852 Page 2 (Retrieved 26th April 2019). Retrieved from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4775844?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FA%2Ftitle%2F13%2F1851%2F01%2F27%2Fpage%2F505154%2Farticle%2F4775844