Highage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Etymology of Highage

What does the name Highage mean?

The origins of the Welsh name Highage go back to the ancient Celtic culture that existed in the hills and Moors of Wales. The forbears that initially held the name Highage once lived in one of the various places named Huish in the English counties of Devon, Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The surname Highage belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Highage family

The surname Highage was first found in Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire where the name is derived from the Middle English "Hiwys." 1

Huish is a parish, in the union of Torrington, hundred of Shebbear, Black Torrington and Shebbear, in Devon and North Huish and South Huish are parishes in the union of Totnes, hundred of Stanborough and Coleridge in the same county. 2

"The estate of Trenans Austell, or Trenance Austell, [Cornwall] was formerly dignified with the name of manor; and no doubt it was particularly honoured with this appellation, when it gave in part that name by which the town was originally designated. In the reign of Edward III it belonged to the family of Hiwis of Devonshire, by whose co-heiress it was conveyed by marriage to the Coleshills." 3

Again in Cornwall, "the manor of St. Ewe, so early as the beginning of the fourteenth century, was in the family of Hiwis, from whom it passed with Tremoderet and other estates to the co-heiress of Arundell." 3

"The manor of Canalissey or Cannaligee, [in the parish of St. Issey, Cornwall] was in all probability the property of the Hiwis family so early as the reign of Edward III; since at that period they held a large estate in this parish." 3

"Sidbury [in Sidmouth, Devon] like many other villages and hamlets of the district, is a seat of the lace-manufacture. At Sand is the old Elizabethan mansion of the Huyshe family; and in the church, originally Norman, but rebuilt, is an inscription recording the death of one Henry Parson, * in the second-first climacteric year of his age;' and what that might have been in Arabic figures, no one has been able to decide. " 4

Early History of the Highage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Highage research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1483, 1594, 1595, 1609, 1613 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Highage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Highage Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Highage has seen various spelling variations: Huish, Huysh, Hewish, Hywis, Huyse, Huyish and many more.

Early Notables of the Highage family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Alexander Huish (1594?-1668), English biblical scholar, the son of John Hewish or Huish, and born in the parish of St. Cuthbert, Wells, Somersetshire, in...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Highage Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Highage family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Highage Joseph Huish who settled in Nevis in 1654.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital