Gummy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Gummy surname is a patronymic, created from the Medieval given name Benne, which comes from the Latin word "benedictus," which means "blessed." Some instances of the surname may also be derived from the name of the village of Benson (Benington) in Oxfordshire (Bennesingtun in Old English). 1 2

While the parish dates back to ancient Roman and Saxon times, it was listed as Baenesington c. 900. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was known as Besintone. 3 Literally, the place name means "estate associated with a man called Benesa," from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun." 4

Early Origins of the Gummy family

The surname Gummy was first found in Oxfordshire, where a Peter de Bensinton was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1208. 5

Henry de Benson was recorded in that same county in Oseney, in 1269. A family of the name was established from ancient times in the vicinity of Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire. The Gildea, Gildee and other spellings were adopted in Ireland and are explained in more detail later.

Some of the family branched in Yorkshire in the early years as Germanus Benson was listed as holding lands there in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 1

Early History of the Gummy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gummy research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1332, 1393, 1549, 1559, 1570, 1611, 1613, 1617, 1640, 1644, 1667, 1672, 1676, 1682, 1691, 1692, 1699, 1711, 1713, 1731, 1754, 1762, 1829, 1883, 1890 and 1896 are included under the topic Early Gummy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gummy Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Gummy family name include Benson, Benison, Bensone, Bennison, Gildea, Gilday, Gildee, Bennsone, Bennisoun, Bennisone and many more.

Early Notables of the Gummy family

Distinguished members of the family include William Benson (died 1549), an English Benedictine, the last Abbot of Westminster and first Dean of Westminster; John Benson (died 1667), a London publisher, best remembered for an important publication of the Sonnets and miscellaneous poems of William Shakespeare in 1640; Robert Benson (1676-1731), English Member of Parliament, made Chancellor of the Exchequer 1711, created Lord Bingley in 1713; and Edward...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gummy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gummy family to Ireland

Some of the Gummy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gummy migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Gummy surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Gummy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Richard Gummy, aged 21, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 6
Richard Gummy, who landed in Virginia in 1656 6

The Gummy 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: Si Deus quis contra?
Motto Translation: If God be with us who can be against us?.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)