Ferncume History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Ferncume is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in Farncombe, in Surrey. The place-name Farncombe was listed in the Domesday Book as Fernecome was held by the Bishop of Bayeux. This name is derived from the Old English elements fearn, which was the word for fern, and combe, a word for a valley. 1

Early Origins of the Ferncume family

The surname Ferncume was first found in Surrey at Farncombe, a village that is today part of the Borough of Waverley. The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Ferncome and literally meant "valley where ferns grow" from the Old English words "fern" + "cumb" 1

At that time, it was part of the Godalming hundred, lands held by the Bishop of Bayeux, had land enough for two ploughs and had 15 acres of meadows. There was also a manor there at the time. 2

One of the first records of the family was Robert de Ferncumb who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 3

Early History of the Ferncume family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferncume research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferncume History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferncume Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Ferncume has been recorded under many different variations, including Farncombe, Farncomb, Farncorn, Vearncombe and others.

Early Notables of the Ferncume family

More information is included under the topic Early Ferncume Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ferncume family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ferncume or a variant listed above: Andrew Farncorn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773.

Citations +

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)