Show ContentsCalmadee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Calmadee family

The surname Calmadee was first found in Devon where "Langdon was for several generations till recently the seat of the Calmadys. "1

By the 13th century, the family held the estates of Wembury in Devon. "The church [of Membury] contains a monument to the memory of Sir S. Calmady, who was mortally wounded at the siege of Ford House, during the great civil war." 2

Early History of the Calmadee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calmadee research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1142, 1149, 1162, 1163, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1619, 1635, 1642, 1645, 1660, 1666, 1671, 1683, 1685, 1686, 1697, 1732 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Calmadee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calmadee Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Calmadee are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Calmadee include: Calmady, Kalmady, Galmady, Callmady, Calmadie, Calmadee, Calmadey, Callamadee and many more.

Early Notables of the Calmadee family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Shilston Calmady (died 1645), English soldier in the English Civil War, killed in action; and his son, Josias Calmady (1619-1683), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons, Member of Parliament for Okehampton (1660.) Edmund Calamy the Elder (1600-1666), one of the authors of ‘Smectymnuus,’ was born in February 1600, the only son of a tradesman in Walbrook. His father came from Guernsey, and the family tradition is that he was an exiled Huguenot from the coast...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calmadee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Calmadee family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Calmadee or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



The Calmadee Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Simili frondescit virga metallo
Motto Translation: The twig has leaves of similar metal.


  1. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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