Roskymer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The illustrious surname Roskymer finds its origin in the rocky, sea swept coastal area of southwestern England known as Cornwall. Although surnames were fairly widespread in medieval England, people were originally known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted is extremely interesting. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Lords and their tenants often became known by the name of the feudal territory they owned or lived on. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Roskymer is a local type of surname and the Roskymer family lived in Cornwall, the manor of Reskymer, near Helston. "The manor of Reskymer-Meneage, in some old records called Manek, belonged in the twelfth century to the Reskymer family. This manor remained in this family until the year 1618, when it was sold by John and William Reskymer the two last descendants of this family, to Mrs. Catherine Trevanion. On the barton of this estate was the original seat of the Reskymers, before they removed to Tremayne in St. Martin." 1

Early Origins of the Roskymer family

The surname Roskymer was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Reskymer in Mawgan near Helston in that shire. It is said that by the mid 16th century fourteen generations of the family had been resident at Reskymer, placing their origin about the year 1100, soon after the Norman Conquest of England at Hastings.

"Carvennick or Car-lyn-ike, which Hals describes as a parcel of the dutchy manor of Tybesta, but which in some ancient records is considered as a distinct manor, belonged in the fifteenth century to the family of Reskymer." 1

"In the year 1465, the manors of Treloweth-Redruth, and Treloweth-Heyle, were the property of Ralph Reskymer. " 1

Early History of the Roskymer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roskymer research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1620 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Roskymer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roskymer Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Reskinner, Reskymer, Reskiner, Roskymer, Roskinner, Reskimer and many more.

Early Notables of the Roskymer family

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

Migration of the Roskymer family

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Roskymer: Adam Roskimer who landed in North America in 1710.

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print