Show ContentsTraysham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Traysham is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Traysham family lived in Northamptonshire at Rushton. Today Tresham is a chapelry, in the parish of Hawkesbury, union of Chipping-Sodbury, Upper division of the hundred of Grumbald's-Ash in Gloucestershire.

Early Origins of the Traysham family

The surname Traysham was first found in Northamptonshire at Rushton. Conjecturally, the family are descended from one of the holders of the lands of Rushton at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 A.D. The holders of the land, which consisted of a village and 2 mills were Hugh, who held it from Robert de Tosny, William who held it from Robert de Bucy and Eustace from the Countess Judith. All three shared in this rich hundred of Northampton in 1086.

"The Hall [of Rushton] is a fine old building erected by the Treshams, a family of consideration in the time of Elizabeth: at one extremity of the park is a curious triangular lodge, which is almost unique." 1

The church of Geddington, Northamptonshire has a memorial of the family. "The church is an ancient structure, consisting of a nave, two aisles and a chancel. The tower and spire are of the perpendicular style, and are extremely graceful and well proportioned; the spire is octagonal, with three stages of lights, the lower ones being double. Three sedilia, with a piscina, are in tolerable preservation; and in the chancel are memorials of the Tresham family, some members of which were engaged in the Gunpowder plot." 1

Early History of the Traysham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Traysham research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1404, 1415, 1450, 1468, 1470, 1471, 1495, 1524, 1532, 1539, 1543, 1547, 1548, 1550, 1551, 1555, 1556, 1558, 1559, 1567, 1569, 1605, 1611, 1640, 1847 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Traysham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Traysham Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Tresham, Treysham, Trasham, Traisham, Treasham and many more.

Early Notables of the Traysham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Tresham JP (1404-1450), an English lawyer and Speaker of the House of Commons; and his son, Sir Thomas Tresham (died 6 May 1471), a British politician, soldier and administrator, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London from 1468 until Henry VI regained the throne in 1470. After the Battle of Barnet he fled to meet Margaret of Anjou but was captured and executed on 6 May 1471. William Tresham (1495-1569) was an English academic and priest. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1532-1547), (1550-1551), 1556 and...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Traysham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Traysham family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Traysham or a variant listed above: Casper Treschum who arrived in Philadelphia in 1753.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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