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Jessop
There are many
theories as to the origin of the name Jessop. What is accepted is
that it is of patronymic
origin, derived from Joseph or the Italian equivalent Giuseppe.
In fact Lower's Dictionary of Family Names, 1860. notes it as a
corruption or variation, or rather Anglicizing of the Italian Christian
name, Giuseppe [joo-sep-pa] = Joseph. On the pronunciation and spelling
issues, the combination of letters as "-ph-" did not occur in the
Norman English alphabet. Where it was found was in words borrowed
from the Greek. Scholars of course took it in their stride but ordinary
folk it is likely that they just stopped at the p, disregarding
the h.
Of course the
name Joseph itself is of Hebrew origin and means "may god add/give
increase". If this derivation is accepted, it means the name
is certainly not of Anglo-Saxon origin, and in its present form
or derivations, cannot be recognised or assoicated with continental
surnames.
The earliest
noted records of Jessops in England were in Yorkshire. The scribes
who compiled the Domesday Book (1086) were familiar with the name
"Joseph" in its Latinised form and seem regularly to have entered
it up as "Josephus". This was still in use a century later as in
the case of a man designated as "Joseph of Holme" (Norfolk: 1187).
Another century elapses and then we encounter Richard filius Josep
in Cambridge (1273) and yet another century passes and we meet up
with Willelmus Josop in York (1379).
English Parish
Registers between 1600 and 1700 contain the following derivative
spellings: Gissop, Jeseph [very like Joseph!], Gisup, Gizup, Jessop,
Jessep, Jessapp, Jessap, Gissope, Jessoppe, Jesupp, Jesope, Jesoppe,
Jessupp, Jessup, Jesup, Jessope, Jesop, Jesoope, Jessoope, Jeshup,
Jesopp, Jesupp, Jessipp, Jesepe.
Interestingly
in England in the early 1500s and through the 1600s there are a
number of wills wherein the testators call themselves 'Joseph alias
Jessop. Burke's Encyclopedia of Heraldry notes that there are currently
four forms of the name that are used among 'the best' English families
of this name Jessopp, Jessope, Jessup and Jessop.
The origins
of the name or the progenitors of the use of the name in England
is shrouded in mystery, however there are a number of different
theories worth noting:
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The
first Jessups were Roman soldiers of the fourth century occupation
of Britain. Kirkburton Church, where early records of this family
are found, was erected in the thirteenth century and during
a later restoration the uncovering of a broken crucifix gives
evidence of a fourth century Christianity. |
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The
family were Norman in origin and were granted lands in Yorkshire
by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished
assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - It is true that
a flood of new names came into England at the time of the Norman
conquest (1066), but no-one of this name appear on the records
until they are found well established throughout the kingdom
in the 16th century (See English Chancery Records); and they
were doubtless there in the century preceding, and we know not
how much earlier. |
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The records
show that individual Italian & and Sefardic Jews (from
the Iberian Peninsula) had settled in the eastern counties
and York after the conquest, possibly at the invitation of
William I. Many of these Italian Jews were physicians (doctors)
- invited to rectify the absence of any formal physicans (there
were lots of herbalists) in Britian. Interestingly it was
the Jewish physicians abilities to manipulate broken bones,
perform surgery and health that made them targets of the witchcraft
trials. This theory is reinforced by an number of facts: the
fact that Jessop was first noted as a name in the York areas
; and the fact that a number of Jessops are addressed as Jossephs
by Jewish acquaintances. If this then be the original of the
name, it is honored in Old Testament history (Yoseph, Hebrew),
from its connection with the favorite son of the patriarch
Jacob, and as the family name of one of the most numerous
of the 12 tribes.
One theory
put forward by Edward Jessop in his extensive research of
the family is that "the suddenness of our appearing among
the notables of the county implies to my mind that we were
originally foreign immigrants. Jewish doctors (physicians),
were constantly being slipped into the country (Jews might
not live in England after 1290, till in the Commonwealth days
they were tolerated once more) from time to time, and their
medical skill was notorious over Europe. If an ancestor settled
in the North in the 15th century, as I am inclined to think
he did, he would be likely to amass money rapidly, assuming
him to be proficient in his art."
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When and how
it came into England may be questions that are never answered. The
last explanation is the most likely - that Italians and Spaniards
found their way to England and settled there, is shown by history.
It is very possible that when the spoken English language was the
only language of the many, it was much easier for the Italian name,
Giuseppe (joo-sep-pa), with its softer initial sounds to have become
in colloquial usage "Jessup," than in the case of other forms of
the same name (records indicate that the names was seen to be spelt
Gisup in the 1500s - perhaps pointing to the Italian original).
That christian names were a major source of surnames can also not
be debates - look at the number of Johns or Williamsons around.
What is interesting is that the use of the surname Joseph is quite
rare - maybe it was because it became Jessup.
Brief
History - Major Lines
Whatever the origins
of the family in England, a family whose name was spelled in a dozen
different ways was domiciled in the south of Yorkshire from early
times. In the 15th century they seem to have been land-owners and
of the gentry class in the neighborhood of the important towns of
Rotherham, Doncaster, and Sheffield. They were already important people
in this district when the 16th century opened, and had allied themselves
by marriage with the ancient family of De Vesci a branch of which
still have lingered about that part Yorkshire.
One branch of
the Jessopps had settled in the county of Nottingham before this;
and there were some of the name in Lincolnshire, and Derby, during
the reign of Henry VIII., descendants of which branch are by far
the most flourishing and wealthy bearers of the name.
Some time during
the first half of the 16th century, Richard Jessoppe of Rotherham,
gent., married Anne, eldest daughter of Robert Swift, of Broom Hall,
near Sheffield, and obtained with her this estate and a large fortune
besides. This marriage was what is popularly described as the foundation
of the Jessopp family, - that is to say, it gave them a chance at
showing what stuff they were made of. The family line proved itself
worthy and the estate of Broom Hall was handed down from father
to son for seven generations, and only passed to possessors of another
name at the death of William Jessop of Broom Hall, without male
heirs, on the 15th Nov., 1734.
Meanwhile from
the parent stock in the Rotherham region grew up offshoots of the
same family, descended from the younger branches; and these established
themselves all over Britian including:
Famous
Jessops
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Thomas
Jessop
Sheffield's Jessop Hospital for Women, which dates from
1878, is named after city magnate Thomas Jessop who footed
the £30,000 building costs. Jessop's fortune came from steel;
his father was a steel smelter and a partner in a steel firm.
Thomas worked his way up through the family business and when
his brother died in 1872, Thomas became the owner. The Jessop
works at Brightside became one of the biggest steelworks in
the country and in 1875 the firm became a limited company
with a share capital of £400,000. Jessops specialised in Crucible
steel for cutlery, edge tools, and engineering and also gained
a reputation in America, particularly for cutlery steel. Jessop
was a well known public figure and held many important civic
posts including Master Cutler (1863), Mayor (1863-4), Alderman
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(1864), Town Trustee
(1862) and JP (1863). As Mayor in 1864 Jessop had to deal with the
aftermath of the great Sheffield flood. He became treasurer of a compensation
fund of around £50,000. Jessop was also a member of Sheffield's first
town council when the town became a corporate borough in 1843.
Judge William
Jessup
Judge William Jessop was 'principal law adviser of the ministry
in the reign of Queen Anne, in which the Duke of Newcastle held
the office of Lord Privy Seal. Many of his communications at this
period may be found in the Harleian MSS. 2262.' He represented Aldborough
in Parliament at the time of his death, as he had done for many
years, having been elected 9 times. In 1764 he became Commissioner
of the Alienation Office, and in 1728, second Judge of Chester.
He also obtained an Irish peerage for his son, who died before him,
as already noticed in the pedigree.
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