Newmarch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Newmarch family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Breckonshire, Wales. Their name, however, is a reference to Neuf-Marche, near Neufchatel, Normandy. 1

Another source spells the place name differently and provides more details. The family is "from the castle of Neumarché in Normandy, which, about 1060, was seized by Duke William, to the prejudice of its inheritor, Geoffrey de Newmarch. (Ord. Vitalis.) Geoffrey’s son Bernard was one of the Conqueror’s companions-at-arms, and witnesses one of his charters to Battle Abbey. He obtained his share of the spoil - a Welsh principality - by his own good sword; for, as Freeman expresses it, 'he used a soldier’s licence to appropriate the territory of Brecknock.' " 2

Early Origins of the Newmarch family

The surname Newmarch was first found in Breckonshire (Breconshire) in Wales where they held a family seat from the time of the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in the year 1066. Bernard of Neuf-Marche near Neufchatel in Normandy, a Norman noble at Hastings, founded a priory at Bracknock which was a cell of the Battel Abbey in Sussex. His successor, Baron Newmarch was summoned to Parliament. Adam de Newmarch was Baron Newmarch.

Early History of the Newmarch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newmarch research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1290 is included under the topic Early Newmarch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newmarch Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Newmarch, Newmarche, Newmarsh, Newmarshe, Newmark, Numarch, Numarche, Numark, Newmack, Newdiche, Newdick and many more.

Early Notables of the Newmarch family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Adam de Newmarch

Newmarch migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Newmarch name or one of its variants:

Newmarch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Newmarch, who arrived in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1643 3
William Newmarch, who settled in Maryland in 1679

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
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)