Midlam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Midlam

What does the name Midlam mean?

The name Midlam is derived from the place name Middleham of which there are two place names, the first in North Yorkshire and the second in Durham.

The North Yorkshire market-town and parish claims its name "is said to be derived from its situation in the centre of a number of hamlets. About the year 1190, a splendid castle was built here by Robert Fitz-Ranulph." 1

As far as the Durham parish named Bishop's MIddleham, it is "of considerable antiquity: its church was given in 1146 to the convent of Durham, by Osbert, nephew of Bishop Ralph Flambard; and soon afterwards, the manor appears to have been conveyed to the see of Durham, the bishops of which resided here, up to the end of the 14th century." 1

The place names literally mean "middle homestead or enclosure" from the Old English "middel" + "ham." 2 The North Yorkshire place is the oldest as it is listed as Medelai in the Domesday Book of 1086. 3 The Durham parish dates back to the 12th century when it was listed as Middelham when it was the possession of the Bishop of Durham. 2

Early Origins of the Midlam family

The surname Midlam was first found in Durham where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. After the Norman Conquest of England many of Duke William's rebellious Barons moved north. The border became a convenient no-man's land. Notable families such as the Percy, the Umfravilles and the Nevilles gathered many supporting clans around them. In the 16th century they became known as the 'unruly clans'. In that century, many of those clans drove their herds south, and they settled in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name was first recorded in Durham at Bishop Middleham in 1210, when Drogo de Midelham was listed as holding lands there at time. Later in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire, we found Richard de Midelham listed in 1361. 4

Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1473-1484), was the only child of King Richard III of England and his queen consort, Anne Neville.

Early History of the Midlam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Midlam research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1361, 1448, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Midlam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Midlam Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Middleham, Midleham, Mittleham, Midelham, Middelham, Midleham, Middlam, Midlam, Mitleham, Midham, Medham, Meddleham and many more.

Early Notables of the Midlam family

More information is included under the topic Early Midlam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Midlam family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: 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..

Contemporary Notables of the name Midlam (post 1700) +

H. Clayton Midlam, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Rome, New York, 1915-16 5

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html