The name itself is very much a Yorkshire name and to this day the majority of Heppenstalls can be found around that area in England. Running right down the spine of England is the mountain range called the 'Pennines'- the county of Lancashire lies to the West and the county of Yorkshire to the East. On the Yorkshire side runs the Calder Valley, named after the Calder river that runs through the bottom of the valley.

In the Dark Ages, 5th-6th centuries, it was a miserable and desolate place. Badly drained it was not much more than a bog rife with mosquitoes, the sides were so steep that finding a flat piece of land to build a house on was almost impossible. However, vikings settled there 1,500 years ago & named it Heptonstall, which roughly translated means: 'Farmsteads where Rose-hips or Brambles grow'.
(Old English: heope or heopa + tun-stall)

When the Industrial Revolution swept through Europe in the 18th Century a canal was built from Hull to Liverpool, part of it through the Calder Valley. The drainage this produced meant that the valley became a nicer place to live so many hill dwellers settled by the canal making Heptonstall a ghost town. The many who could not find work had to move away, many ending up in workhouses. When they registered with what was effectively the 18th Century social services they were asked for a surname which many did not have, so following the custom of the day they were named after their hometown or village.

Over the years this became corrupted into many different variations, Heppenstall being one especially prominent around the Rotherham area.

Heptonstall village & surrounding area is rich in history & remains pretty much preserved from how it was 5 - 600 years ago.

The first recorded use of the name Heptonstall was that of a minor Norman knight, John de Heptonstall, on the staff of the Baron of Wakefield, not too far from Heptonstall village in 1086.

Thankyou to Brian Fox.

An alternative claim...

The website was recently approached by a Heppenstall with an alternative definition of our name, quoting:

"Having lived in Denmark for a few years and learned to speak Danish, I can offer an alternative translation of 'Heptonstall' or 'Heppenstall'.

'Heppe' translates lierally as 'cheer' or 'cheery' and adding a definite article 'n' to it would mean 'the cheery'.

Stall, in Danish or Norwegian, spelt 'stad' (but pronounced 'stall') means 'place'. It is also commonly used to denote 'city' or 'town'. Our word 'instead', meaning 'in place of' is derived from this.

Thus 'Heppenstall' or 'Heptonstall' (the 't' would remain almost silent - a kind of glottal stop) would translate from Danish or Norwegian, the language our Viking forebears would have spoken, literally as 'The Cheery Place'."

...this is not the first time that this idea has been mooted - it's a tricky one - let us know your thoughts!

A Note on The Hempenstalls:

It seems that the Hempenstall variation (originating from Heptonstall of course) was established at some point in the 13th Cenutury. They went on to reach the East coast of Ireland in the counties of Wexford and Wicklow, taking with them their finely honed skills as weavers, labourers and armed combatants to an area that saw some strife, including the rising of 1798.

A Note on The Hepenstals: