Bullmer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Bullmer surname lie with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name Bullmer began when someone in that family worked as a keeper of bull calves. This surname may also refer to an exuberant young man

"The most ancient of all the timeworn towers of Raby [Castle in Durham] bears two gigantic sculptured B's for Bertram de Bulmer, placed there when it was restored and heightened in the fourteenth century by John Lord Nevill; and the same letter is shown on his seals, and appears on the bordure of his shield in Durham Cathedral. " 1

Early Origins of the Bullmer family

The surname Bullmer was first found in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, where one of the first records of the name was Antetin de Bulemer (Bulmere), one of the witnesses of a letter to King David I regarding the consecration of Robert, Bishop of St. Andrews at York in 1128. The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Bolemere and literally meant "pool where bulls drink." 2

The township of Sheepwash (or Shipwash) in Northumberland was home to another branch of the family. " The ancient mansion of the Bulmer family, here, is beautifully situated amidst gardens, orchards, and shrubberies of great luxuriance; and the parsonage-house of the parish, which is within the township, surrounded by the windings of the river, is also a very interesting feature." 3

And another branch of the family was found at Thorpe-Bulmer in Durham. "This township derives the adjunct to its name from the family of Bulmer, one of whom, Sir John Bulmer, was attainted in the reign of Henry VIII." 3

And yet another branch of the family was found at Wilton in the North Riding of Yorkshire. "Wilton Castle, recently built upon the site of the ancient baronial castle of the Bulmers, who possessed it for many generations, till Sir John Bulmer, Knt., was attainted of high treason, when his estates were confiscated." 3 Sheriff Hutton in the North Riding of Yorkshire was another ancient family seat. "This place is celebrated for its castle, erected in the time of Stephen (1140) by Bertram de Bulmer, from whose family it descended by marriage to the Nevilles, who held it till the battle of Barnet, in 1471, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was slain, and his estates confiscated." 3

Early History of the Bullmer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bullmer research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1128, 1300, 1310, 1342, 1465, 1481, 1503, 1516, 1517, 1531, 1537 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Bullmer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bullmer Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bullmer has appeared include Bullmer, Bilmer, Bulmar, Bulmore, Bulmer and others.

Early Notables of the Bullmer family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Bertram Bulmer of Thirsdale; Lord Bulmer, Distinguished Parliamentarian 1342; Sir Ralph Bulmer, Lord of the Manor of Wilton in 1310; Sir William Bulmer (1465-1531), of Wilton, High Sheriff of Durham (1503-1516) and High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1517; and his son, Sir John Bulmer...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bullmer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bullmer migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bullmer arrived in North America very early:

Bullmer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Bullmer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 4
Janis Nickell Bullmer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 4

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)