Edgecumbe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Edgecumbe name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Edgecumbe was originally derived from a family having lived at the edge of the valley. The surname Edgecumbe originally derived from the Old English word Eggcombe. The surname Edgecumbe is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Edgecumbe family

The surname Edgecumbe was first found in Devon where the original ancestor Richard Edgcumbe was Lord of Edgecumbe in 1292. 1 "In the reign of Edward III, William Edgcumbe, second son of the house of Edgcumbe, having married the heiress of Cotehele, in the parish of Calstock, removed into Cornwall, and was the ancestor of the Edgcumbes of Cotehele and Mount Edgcumbe, Earls of Mount Edgcumbe (1789)" 1

"Milton Abbot contains the lovely Devonshire seat of the Dukes of Bedford Endsleigh. Edgcumbe, here, is the original home of the family of Edgcumbe, and has continued in the possession of the elder branch from the reign of Edward III. The younger branch is ennobled as Earls Mount Edgcumbe. " 2

"Mount-Edgcumbe House, [in Maker, south-east Cornwall] the noble seat of the Edgcumbe family, and from which its representative derives the title of Earl, was originally built in the reign of Mary, and, with the exception only of Salcombe, was the last garrison that held out for Charles I.; it occupies an elevated site, commanding an extensive prospect, and its domain presents a variety of beautiful scenery." 3 It was built by Sir Richard Edgcumbe between 1547 and 1553 and later destroyed during World War II but was restored in the late 1950s.

Calstock in Cornwall was another ancient home of the family. "This singular mansion is delightfully situated on the banks of the Tamar, which winds along the vale, the sides of which are covered with luxuriant fertility. This place gave name to a very ancient family, that became extinct in the male line so early as the reign of Edward III. The heiress of this family was afterwards married to "William de Eggecombe," who fixed his residence at Cotehele. The present house was built by Sir Richard Edgcumbe in the reign of Henry VII. ; and from its high state of preservation, it exhibits to the curious a fine specimen of a mansion house of that age." 4

Early History of the Edgecumbe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edgecumbe research. Another 264 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1489, 1493, 1494, 1497, 1499, 1513, 1536, 1540, 1562, 1563, 1570, 1586, 1587, 1608, 1609, 1629, 1639, 1640, 1661, 1667, 1679, 1681, 1688 and 1696 are included under the topic Early Edgecumbe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edgecumbe Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Edgecumbe include Edgecombe, Edgecomb, Edgecumb, Edgecumbe and others.

Early Notables of the Edgecumbe family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Piers Edgecumbe (c.1609-1667), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1667, he supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War

Edgecumbe 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:

Edgecumbe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Edgecumbe, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1879
Mary A. Edgecumbe, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1879

The Edgecumbe 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: Au playsir fort de dieu
Motto Translation: In high-pleasure of God

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print