Plumton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Plumton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in one of the many places named Plumpton in England including the township of Plumpton in Lancashire, the parish in Northumberland and the parish in Sussex. 1 2

The place name literally means "place where plum-trees grow," from the Old English word "plume" + "tun." 3

The oldest parishes are found in East Sussex and Lancashire which are both listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Pluntune and Pluntun, respectively. 4

Early Origins of the Plumton family

The surname Plumton was first found in Cheshire where William de Plumton was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1174. A few years later, Nigel de Plumpton was found in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1247 and John de Plumpton in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

Interestingly, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family, both in Northamptonshire: William de Plumton and Robert de Plumpton. 2

In Devon, "in all probability Plympton takes name from its ancient position at the head of the estuary of what is now known as the Plym, or, as these estuarine creeks are commonly called in the locality, lake pen lin in the Western Keltic tongue, contracted, as in other instances in Cornwall, into plin, the form which the first syllable takes in its earliest occurrence in ' Domesday ' Plintona." 6

Early History of the Plumton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plumton research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1383, 1404, 1421, 1427, 1430, 1453, 1480, 1482, 1503, 1523, 1570, 1582 and 1619 are included under the topic Early Plumton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plumton 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 Plumton 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 Plumton include: Plumpton, Plumton, Plompton, Plympton and others.

Early Notables of the Plumton family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Plumpton (1404-1480), English soldier, eldest son of Sir Robert Plumpton (1383-1421) of Plumpton, Yorkshire. His family had been settled at Plumpton from the twelfth century, and held of the earls of Northumberland as overlords. Accordingly the Earl of Northumberland had his wardship till he was of age. About 1427 he set out for the French wars; he was knighted...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plumton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Plumton 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 Plumton or a variant listed above: Henry Plumpton who settled in Virginia in 1632; and John Plumpton settled in Jamaica in 1684.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital