| Balsam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms - Origins Available:
England Early Origins of the Balsam familyThe surname Balsam was first found in Cambridgeshire at Balsham, a rural village and civil parish which dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Bellesham in 974. In 1015, Balsham was destroyed by Viking raiders and a marker on the village green commemorates the sole survivor of the attack who escaped by hiding in the parish church. By the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was known as Belesham 1 and literally meant "homestead or village of a man called Baelli," from the Old English personal name + "ham." 2 At that time, Balsham was a small village with a Mill. Other sources concur the name is: "from Balsham in Cambridgeshire, which Fuller characterizes as 'an eminent village,' and the only one in England bearing the name. " 3 4 Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic sound of the entries. Pinna de Belesham was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Balsham who was a Norman noble named Hardwin of Scales who held his lands from the Abbot of Ely who was recorded in the Domesday Book. Later, Margaret de Balsham was listed in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260. Years later, William Balsham was found in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 5 Adam of Balsham (Latin: Adam Balsamiensis or Adam Parvipontanus) (c. 1100-c. 1157) was an Anglo-Norman scholastic and churchman born in Balsham, near Cambridge. Hugh de Balsham (died 1286), a Benedictine monk was Bishop of Ely and founder of Peter-house College, Cambridge. He was born and is interred here. A brass in the church at Balsham, Cambridgeshire of the bishop can still be seen today. He "was born in the earlier part of the thirteenth century, most probably in the Cambridgeshire village from which he may be presumed to have taken his name. Matthew Paris, in the only passage where he mentions the bishop by name, calls him Hugo de Belesale, which is doubtless the reason why Fuller introduces him as 'Hugo de Balsham (for so he is truly written)' 'It was fashionable,' says Fuller, 'for clergy-men in that age to assume their surnames from the place of their nativity;' and 'there is no other village of that name throughout the dominions of England.' The bishop's supposed birthplace lies about ten miles from Camhridge and nine from Newmarket, in a pleasant neighbourhood, which justifies to this day Henry of Huntingdon's description of it, cited by Fuller, as 'amœnissima Montana de Balsham.' The village is one of those specified in 1401, in connection with a long-standing controversy between the bishops of Ely and the arch-deacons of Ely who called themselves arch-deacons of Cambridge, as under the direct jurisdiction of the bishops (Bentham's Ely, 269). At one time the place was an episcopal manor-seat, and Bishop Simon Montague from time to time abode there. The church, which has been recently restored, contains some ancient monuments, among them a small brass figure on a slab, said to be that of Hugh de Balsham." 6 Early History of the Balsam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balsam research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1317, 1523 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Balsam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Balsam Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Balsom, Balsam, Balsham, Balson, Ballsom, Ballsam and many more. Early Notables of the Balsam familyMore information is included under the topic Early Balsam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Balsam migration to the United States | + |
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Balsam or a variant listed above:
Balsam Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Anna Barbara Balsam, who settled in America in 1750
- Elisabetha Balsam, who settled in America in 1750
- Johann Peter Balsam, who settled in America in 1750
- Peter Balsam, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 7
Balsam Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Frederick Balsam, who settled in Kansas in 1900
Contemporary Notables of the name Balsam (post 1700) | + |
- Talia Balsam (b. 1959), American television and film actress, daughter of film actor Martin Balsam
- Martin Henry Balsam (1919-1996), American Tony award and Academy Award winning film, theatre, and television actor
- Paul Balsam, American Democratic Party politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court 11th District; Elected 1964 8
- Philip Balsam (1943-2023), Canadian songwriter, composer and author, best known for writing over 190 songs for the television series Fraggle Rock
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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