Hoxham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hoxham family

The surname Hoxham was first found in Devon at Huxham, a parish, in the union of St. Thomas, hundred of Wonford. 1 2 3 4

Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Huxham, held by Ralph de Pomeroy, a Norman noble from La Pommeraye in Bayeux in Normandy who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Part of their castle still remains at Cingueleiz near Falaise.

It is here that the family's first record was found with a very early spelling variation. Robert de Hokesham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1230. 5

Early History of the Hoxham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoxham research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1715, 1717 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Hoxham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoxham Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Hoxham, Hocksham, Hockham, Hockam, Hocksam, Hoxam and others.

Early Notables of the Hoxham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Huxham (1692-1768), English physician, born at Totnes, Devonshire, the son of a butcher. "On 7 May 1715 he entered as a student under Boerhaave at Leyden, but being unable to stay the requisite three years, he graduated M.D. at Rheims in 1717. He took a house at Totnes, but soon moved to Plymouth. The dissenters generally consulted him, but his practice did not grow...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoxham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hoxham family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Hoxham or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)