[WHT: The information on this family and descendants was provided by Beverly Christmas Hurni, a descendant; September 17, 1998.]"Homes of Family Names" by Henry Brougham Guppy; printed 1890 & reprinted 1968. Page 84: Christmas is a name also found in the Hunts, Surrey and Hants. It is an ancient name in the eastern counties, and in the 13th century it was still established in the form of Christemasse in Cambridgeshire and Hunts, and there were a few of then name in Essex (H.R.). In 1433 John Crystmasse was a gentleman of Morden-Steeple in this county (Carter).
From the PATENT ROLLS of Henry VI - part 2, page 387 for time period Jan. 9, 1434 to Jan. 9, 1435, a John Crystemasse is listed in Stepylmorden, now called Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire.
Also in 49 Henry VI, page 175: a Richard Cristemasse is witness to land sale in Stepylmorden; Feb. 12, 1471.
From V. C. H. of Cambridge, Vol. 8 - Steeple Morden - no page number: "Until the 15th century much of the land outside of the demesnes was probably occupied by moderately large freeholders, such as the Peverels who acquired 2 yardlands in 1199 and held c. 40 a. from c. 1250 to after 1420, and the Christmases regular purchases of land from the 1350s with 55 a. Those men prospered most who added to their own holdings the leases of larger estates."
[WHT: My thanks to Alex Williams, who provided information on Sept. 8, 2008.]
The history & genealogy of our Christmas family continues to grow, with the addition of many new families and allied surnames. If you find errors in these pages or have additions, please write Herbert Turner at the Christmas Home Page; the corrections & additions will be made; thank you.
Many Christmas descendants have provided their research & photos for these web pages, refer to our Researcher's Page for some of their names, lines and addresses.
Please note, this and all linked pages are protected by COPYRIGHT. Researchers that have shared information with me, maintain their own personal copyright to their shared material, and can do whatever they like with their material. You are welcome to use the material on these web pages, for your personal use only, provided "© 1997-2012 by W. Herbert Turner" is included. It cannot be used in any publications, digital media - CD/DVDs, web pages, etc. without written permission. If you share this material with other family members, you should inform them of the copyright.
Copyright © 1997-2012 by W. Herbert Turner