Samson Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Samson Family History

Samson Family History

The Samson ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'the son of Samson', this is a baptismal name. Variants include Sampson, Sansom, Sansome, Sanson, Sansum and Samsen. Chosen among Christians in direct reference to the great strenght of the biblical character and also of a 6th century Welsh Bishop, who travelled to Brittany where he died and was greatly venerated. This name is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in the above countries. Examples of such are a Sansum le Rus, county Cambridge, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a John Sampson and Elizabeth Clarke who were married in Saint Michaels, Cornhill, in the year 1559. In Scotland Samson was the first Bishop of Dunkeld in the year 1150, and a Laurence Samson was a witness in Lanarkshire in the year 1513. In Ireland the name is found in small numbers in Ulster having been introduced there from England centuries ago. The Samson family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Samson descendants.