Belmont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Ireland

Belmont is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Belmont family lived in Dorset and Gloucestershire. "There existed at a remote period, a family of Beaumont in Normandy, and it was, probably, one of its cadets whose name was inscribed on the muster Roll at Battle. Certain it is that he could not have been the founder of the illustrious House of Beaumont, which, in two centuries after, appears so prominently conspicuous among the most potent barons of the realm, and which was established in this country by Henry de Beaumont, fourth son of Agnes de Beaumont, by her husband, Louie, second son of Charles, Kind of Jerusalem, and nephew of Loius IX. of France." 1

Early Origins of the Belmont family

The surname Belmont was first found in Dorset and Gloucestershire, where "Roger de Belmont appears in [the] Domesday [Book] as chief tenant. According to Sir H. Ellis, he was a near kinsman of the Conqueror, being lineal descendant of that king's great grandfather. Some trace the noble English families from the Viscounts Beaumont of Normandy, and others from the blood-royal of France." 2

The chapelry of Ryall in Northumberland is of particular interest to the family. "This was the lordship of John, Lord Beaumont, who died seised of Ryall about the year 1396, leaving it, with many other estates in this county and elsewhere, to his son and heir, Henry, then sixteen years of age, who was knighted at the coronation of Henry IV." 3

Upper Whitley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family. "The founder of the ancient family of Beaumont here, was a Knight Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, who received the manor on condition of performing certain military services in the time of Henry III. Whitley Hall has ever since been the principal residence of the family, and is now in the possession of R. H. Beaumont, Esq. [(c. 1860)]" 3

Robert de Beaumont (d. 1118), was Count of Meulan, a feudal statesman and son of Roger de Beaumont ('de Bellomonte' in the Latinized form) and grandson of Humfrey de Vielles. 4

His son, Robert de Beaumont Earl of Leicester (1104-1168), was Justiciary of England, and a twin with his brother Waleran. Waleran de Beaumont Count of Meulan (1104-1166), was a warrior and feudal statesman and twin brother of Robert, Earl of Leicester. Robert de Beaumont Earl of Leicester (d. 1190), was a baronial leader and son of Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. 4

"The leading manor of South Tawton, [Devon] was once in the Beaumonts, being granted by Henry I. to Roselm Beaumont, Viscount de Mayne, whose granddaughter brought it to Roger de Tony." 5

Early History of the Belmont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belmont research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1198, 1305, 1309, 1340, 1438, 1507, 1584, 1585, 1616, 1636, 1638, 1650, 1660, 1668, 1669, 1676, 1679, 1685, 1689, 1699, 1701 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Belmont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belmont Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Belmont were recorded, including Beaumont, Beaumond, Beamond, Beamont, Beamonte, Beamonde, Bellmont, Belmont, Beomont, Beumond, Bewmont, Bewmonte, Bellemont, Beumont, Beaumount, Bewmount, Bowmont, Bowmaunt and many more.

Early Notables of the Belmont family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Viscount Allandale; Henry de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan (circa 1305-1340), a military tactician, who was made the 1st Baron Beaumont in 1309; Sir William de Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont (1438-1507), fought in several of the major battles of the Wars of the Roses, probably knighted before the Battle of Northampton; Francis Beaumont (c.1585-1616), a British playwright...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Belmont Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belmont Ranking

In the United States, the name Belmont is the 11,270^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Belmont is ranked the 4,696^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Belmont family to Ireland

Some of the Belmont family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belmont migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Belmont arrived in North America very early:

Belmont Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

August Belmont, who landed in New York, NY in 1846 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Belmont (post 1700) +

Andy Belmont (b. 1957), American NASCAR stock car racer
Jamie Belmont, former American soccer player
Joe Belmont, former American NBA basketball player
August Belmont Jr. (1853-1924), American financier, thoroughbred racing enthusiast, builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack
Alva Ertskin Belmont (1853-1933), American reformer
Perry Belmont (1851-1947), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from New York 1st District, 1881-88; Resigned 1888; Defeated, 1902 (7th District); U.S. Minister to Spain, 1888-89; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1892, 1896, 1900, 1904, 1912;
Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (1858-1908), American Democratic Party politician, Financier; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1900; U.S. Representative from New York 13th District, 1901-03
August Belmont (1816-1890), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Netherlands, 1853-54; U.S. Minister to Netherlands, 1854-57; Chairman of Democratic National Committee, 1860-68; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1860, 1864, 1876; Speaker, 1868
François de Briançon de Vachon de Belmont, Marquis de Belmont, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Ramona Belmont, New Zealand World Championship snooker player

Historic Events for the Belmont family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Fred "Bronco" Belmont (1921-2006), aged 20, Welsh Able Bodied Seaman from Wales, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) FranÃ§ois Belmont. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html