Lambourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Lambourne history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Lambourne history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Lambourne family originally lived in Cornwall, in the village of Lamborne where one source notes the name was "anciently written in the Cornish-British Lambron, the inclosure of the round hill; lan being changed into lam, for the sake of the euphony or ease in speaking; from the Welsh Llan, an inclosure, and bryn, a hill." 1

Like many names from Cornwall, we must look to Normandy for the origin of the family. It is there we found in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae an entry for Alvered de Lamborne, Normandy 1180-1195. 2 When they ventured to England is not known.

Lambourn is a parish, in the union of Hungerford, hundred of Lambourn, in Berkshire and this "place formed part of the dower of Ealswitha, queen of Alfred the Great, and continued in royal demesne under Edward the Confessor; after the Conquest it was given to the baronial family of Fitzwarren, at whose instance a market and three fairs were granted to it by Henry III. " 3

The place name literally means "stream where lambs are washed," from the Old English "lamb"+ "burna." 4 The Berkshire parish is the oldest dating back to Saxon times when it was known as Lambburnan c. 880 and later in the Domesday Book of 1086 it was listed as Lamborne. 5

Lambourne in Essex also dates back to the Domesday Book when it was known as Lamburna. 5

Early Origins of the Lambourne family

The surname Lambourne was first found in Cornwall where the family held an estate in the parish of Perran Zabuloe dating back to the reign of Edward II. 6 7

"In the days of Edward III. about 1330, these lands [of Lamburn, Cornwall] belonged to Sir John Lamburn of Lamburn, in Perransand, whose daughter and heir was married to one of the Arundells of Lanherne." 8

Ralph de Lamburne was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1198 and later, Alice de Lamborne was found in Wiltshire in 1278. 9

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes: William de Lamburne, Suffolk; Alicia de Lamburne, Oxfordshire; and Lambekin de Lamburne, London. 10

Early History of the Lambourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lambourne research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1363, 1367, 1376, 1451, 1525, 1583, 1663, 1722, 1763, 1764, 1765 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Lambourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lambourne Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Lamborne, Lambourne, Lamborn, Lambourn and others.

Early Notables of the Lambourne family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Reginald Lamborn (fl. 1363), English astronomer who "studied under the astronomers William Rede and John Aschendon, at Merton College, where he became B.D. In 1363 and 1367 he was a monk in the Benedictine monastery of Eynaham, Oxfordshire; in 1376 he appears as D.D. and monk of St. Marr, York. Some time after this he entered the Franciscan order at Oxford, and died at Northampton." 11Peter Spendelowe Lamborn (1722-1774), engraver and miniature-painter, born at Cambridge in 1722, was son...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lambourne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lambourne migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Lambourne arrived in North America quite early:

Lambourne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Lambourne, who settled in Virginia in 1689

Lambourne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathew Lambourne, who settled in Maryland in 1730

Lambourne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lambourne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Lambourne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merchantman' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand and Auckland New Zealand on 6th September 1855 12
Mrs. Lambourne, British settler travelling from London with 5 children aboard the ship 'Merchantman' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand and Auckland New Zealand on 6th September 1855 12
William Lambourne, aged 25, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Lambourne (post 1700) +

Richard Lambourne, American Financial Executive

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html