Adlam is an old English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 noble

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 derived from the Anglo Saxon

Old English language

Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...

 Adel helm or Eagle Shield, also translated as Noble Protector.

They are a distinguished military family originally from Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

  whose exploits mirror the course of English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 history:

• Captain W. Adlam's involvement with the Roundhead
  Roundhead
  "Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
  
  s during the English Civil War
  English Civil War
  The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
  
   is described in the House of Commons
  British House of Commons
  The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
  
  ' history;
• Captain S. Adlam fought in the French wars in Canada
  Canada
  Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
  
  ;
• Major General William Adlam
  William Adlam
  Major General William Adlam was an English British Army soldier and artist. He was descended from a long line of distinguished soldiers.Adlam served in the American War of Independence as a captain in the army in the 40th Regiment of Foot...
  
   fought in the American War of Independence, and the Napoleonic Wars
  Napoleonic Wars
  The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
  
  
• Major General Henry Charles Adlam fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War
  First Anglo-Afghan War
  The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
  
   of 1839-42 and commanded the Battle of Maharajpore in the Gwalior Campaign
  Gwalior Campaign
  The Gwalior Campaign was fought between British and Marathan forces in Gwalior in India, December 1843.- Background :The Maratha Empire controlled much of central and northern India and had fallen to the British in 1818 giving the British control over almost all of the Indian subcontinent...
  
  .
• Lieutenant Colonel Tom Edwin Adlam
  Tom Edwin Adlam
  Lieutenant Colonel Tom Edwin Adlam VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
  
   was awarded the VC
  Victoria Cross
  The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
  
   in World War I
  World War I
  World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
  
   and
• Major J.P Adlam was mentioned in dispatches for gallant and distinguished service in Italy during World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  

Recently, Adlams have gained renown in business and the arts, with performers such as the harpsichord

Harpsichord

A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...

 player and maker, Derek Adlam, the international violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist Adrian Adlam

Adrian Adlam

Adrian Adlam is a British violinist, conductor and music educator. He was educated at Westminster Abbey, Winchester College, Conservatoire Royale de Musique of Brussels and the Hochschule fur Musik, Hanover....

, the composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 Basil Adlam, the comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

 Terry Adlam, and businessmen such as entrepreneur and financier Boris Adlam and venture capitalist Tom Adlam. Carol Adlam has a certificate of achievement in bricklaying.
Source: Hart's Annual Army List of 1877 (Published by John Murray Albemarle St in 1877

http://www.britisharmedforces.org/ns/nat_victoria_cross/nat_victoriacross_names_army.htm#A

http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/qqaacc.htm

British Medical Journal August 4 1945: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/issue_pdf/admin_pdf/2/4413.pdf

The Royal Military Calendar or Army Service and Commission Order Book, London 1820

House of Commons Journal Volume 3: 13 April 1643', Journal of the House of Commons: volume 3: 1643-1644 (1802)