Piggrem History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Piggrem

What does the name Piggrem mean?

The Piggrem family has descended through the lines of the ancient Normans that came to England following their Conquest of England in 1066. The Piggrem name reveals that an early member was a person who had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or some devotional area in Europe such as the tomb of St. Thomas a Beckett at Canterbury. 1 The modern French form, Pèlerin was a frequent entry in the Hundredorum Rolls. 2

Occasionally used as a personal name: Pelerin appears in the Pipe Rolls for Sussex in 1206 and was sometimes given to or adopted by a pilgrim. 1

Early Origins of the Piggrem family

The surname Piggrem was first found in Norfolk, where the family held lands after the Norman Conquest. 3 According to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae, Robert, John, and Thomas Pelerin were all registered in Normandy between 1180 and 1195. 4

Hugo Pllegrim was listed as a Knights Templar in Warwickshire in 1185. William Pegerim, Pegrum was registered in the Curia Regis Rolls for Dorset in 1200 and Eustace Pelrim was registered at Ely, Cambridgeshire in 1221. Robert Peregrine was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243. 1

Continuing our quest, we found William Pylegrim in Huntingdonshire in 1251; Robert Pelrin, Pelgrim in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260; William Pegrin in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1275; and Symon Pegrym in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 1

Early History of the Piggrem family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Piggrem research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1200 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Piggrem History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Piggrem Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Piggrem family name include Pilgrim, Pilgrime, Pilgram, Pegram, Pegrem, Pelerin, Peregrine and many more.

Early Notables of the Piggrem family

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

Migration of the Piggrem family to Ireland

Some of the Piggrem family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Piggrem family

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Piggrem family to immigrate North America: William Pilgrim, who sailed to Virginia in 1665; Walter Pilgram sailed to Maryland in 1677; Thomas Pilgrim sailed to Barbados in 1680; Richard Pilgrim sailed to Maryland in 1742..

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)