Show ContentsNewcomynd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Newcomynd. It was given to a new person in town; a person who had just arrived to live in the area. The name Newcomynd is derived from the Old English elements niwe, which means new, and cumen, which means come. The name is therefore transliterated as "newly come." Nickname surnames were frequently the result of a spontaneous reaction to a particular occasion or event. 1

Early Origins of the Newcomynd family

The surname Newcomynd was first found in Lincolnshire where Alan le Neucument was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1175. In Durham, William Neucum was listed at Boldon in 1183 and Walter le Neucumen was a Knights Templar in Lincolnshire in 1185. Again in Lincolnshire, Richard Newecwne was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Gilbert le Neucum, Lincolnshire; Gilbert le Neucomen, Lincolnshire; and Robert Neucomen, Lincolnshire. To the north in Yorkshire, Ricardus Newcomen was registered there in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

"Newcombe is an old Devonshire name. Richard Newcomb was twice mayor of Barnstaple in the reign of Henry VI. (G.). In the 16th and 17th centuries, a gentle family of Newcombe resided at Great Worthy, in Teignton - Drew. The name was well known in Exeter from the 16th to the 18th century, and Newcomb was the name of the Exeter mayors of 1612, 1703, and 1713. Ashburton also possessed a family of the name in the 16th century, Newcombe being the name of the Ashburton churchwardens of 1550 and 1569. The name still survives in Exeter and Barnstaple." 4

We found this interesting passage: "Somewhere about the year 1670, there was born in Dartmouth a man who did more to lay the foundations of the present manufacturing greatness of the kingdom, and to advance the progress of industrial operations throughout the world, than any other who can be named. This was Thomas Newcomin, the inventor of the first practical working steam-engine, upon which, after it had been many years in useful operation, the work of James Watt was based. Newcomin, with whom was associated another Dartmouth man, named Cawley, perfected his engine in 1705. Hardly anything is known of him except that he was a locksmith and ironmonger, and that he died in 1729. The date of his birth is quite uncertain, but no doubt has ever been thrown upon his being a Dartmouth worthy. The house in which he lived was pulled down a few years since, and the materials worked into a house called ' Newcomin Cottage.' West-Countrymen are proud of the fact that to Newcomin the world owes the stationary steam-engine, and to Trevithick, of Hayle, in Cornwall, the locomotive. Newcomin's engine was a perfectly new machine, though it had to a certain extent a predecessor in the ingenious device of Savery of Shilston ; and Trevithick's engine was the first that proved the practicability of steam locomotion on railroads." 5

Early History of the Newcomynd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newcomynd research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1627, 1669 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Newcomynd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newcomynd 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 Newcomynd has appeared include Newcombe, Newcom, Newcomb, Newcome, Newcomen and others.

Early Notables of the Newcomynd family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newcomynd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Newcomynd family to Ireland

Some of the Newcomynd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Newcomynd family

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 Newcomynd arrived in North America very early: William Newcome, who settled in Virginia in 1623; Andrew Newcomb, who settled in Maine in 1630; Francis Newcom, who came to New England in 1635 with his wife Rachel and two children.



  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital


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