The history of the Mayhough family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Norfolk. Their name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Mayeux, Normandy. [1]
The surname Mayhough was first found in the parish of Morvall, Cornwall. "The manor of Bray, passed from the Herles to the family of Mayow, of whom John Mayow an eminent physician was a distinguished member. This gentleman contributed some papers on the nature of respiration, which were published in the Philosophical Transactions. Bray is now the property, and the occasional residence of Philip Wynhall Mayow, Esq. In the church are memorials for the families of Mayow, Kendall, and Coode." [2]
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 listed Henry Meyer and Bartholomew le Meyre in Norfolk; and David le Meir in Lancashire. [3]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mayhough research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1631, 1695, 1708, 1641 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Mayhough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Mayo, Mayow, Mayhow, Mayho and others.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mayhough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Mayhough or a variant listed above were: Percilla Mayho who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1756; David Mayo settled in Barbados in 1678; John Mayo settled in Massachusetts in 1632; another John settled in Virginia in 1663.