Hygman History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of HygmanWhat does the name Hygman mean? The ancient history of the Hygman name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in or beside an enclosed region. The surname Hygman originally derived from the Old English word "hegham" which referred to an "enclosed dwelling." 1 Early Origins of the Hygman familyThe surname Hygman was first found in Norfolk at Heigham, Potter, a parish, in the hundred of Happing. 2 The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Echam. 3 But by 1182, the parish was known as Higham Potter and possibly meant "homestead with a hedge or hatch-gate. The affix must allude to the pot-making here at an early date." 4 As far as early records of the family is concerned, Osward de Hecham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1176 and a few years later, Hugo de Hegham was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1198. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three early entries for the family: Ralph de Hegham, Norfolk; Thomas de Hegham or Heyham, Kent; and Robert de Heyham, Suffolk. 1 Later, Robertus de Hegham was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. "This surname is derived from a geographical locality, 'of the Hegham,' i.e. the enclosed dwelling, a spot in East Cheshire that gave rise to a surname now very familiar to the directories of the surrounding district. Also parishes in the Dioceses of Norwich, Peterborough, and Rochester, which no doubt have contributed to the list in South England." 1 Early History of the Hygman familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hygman research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1495, 1545, 1554, 1555, 1558, 1559, 1560, 1568, 1570, 1571, 1572, 1634 and 1636 are included under the topic Early Hygman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hygman Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hygman include Hyam, Hyams, Hygham, Hyham, Higham, Highams and many more. Early Notables of the Hygman familyNotables of the family at this time include Sir Clement Higham, (also Heigham), of Barrow Hall, Suffolk, (1495-1571), a Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons (1554-1555), Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and a Privy Councillor to Queen Mary. He was of a Suffolk family, son of Clement Heigham of Lavenham. "On 27 January 1555 he was knighted by King Philip (Machyn, Diary, p. 342), and on 2 March 1558 he succeeded Sir David Brooke as lord chief Baron of the exchequer. He received a new patent on Queen Elizabeth's accession, but on 22 January 1559 he was... Migration of the Hygman familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hygman or a variant listed above: Thomas Higham settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1698; Farwell Higham settled in New England in 1755; Thomas Higham arrived in New York in 1822; Abel, James, and William Higham arrived in Philadelphia in 1828.
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