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![Show Contents]() Wigmoor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Wigmoor is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wigmoor family lived in Herefordshire, at Wigmore. The name of this place derives from the Old English words wicga, meaning moving, and mor, meaning marsh, and probably indicated that the bearer of the name lived near a shallow, swampy part of a river. 1 Early Origins of the Wigmoor familyThe surname Wigmoor was first found in Herefordshire and Worcestershire which both date back to the Domesday Book 2 and were listed as Wigemore in that register. Wigmore is also a village in the Unitary Authority of Medway, Kent that dates back to 1275 when is was listed as Wydemere, from an Old English "wid" + "mere" meaning "broad pool". 1 The family conjecturally descend from Ralph de Mortimer, who built Wigmore Castle c. 1070 on the River Teme in Hereford. Wigmore Abbey, located nearby, was an Augustinian abbey with a grange and was founded by Ranulph de Mortimer (d. c. 1104), who was known as Lord of Wigmore. The abbey and the castle are both in ruins today. The exact relationship between the Wigmores and the Mortimers is unclear. Today, Wigmore is a new estate situated on the outskirts of Luton near Luton Airport, Bedfordshire. Early History of the Wigmoor familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wigmoor research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1362, 1390, 1397, 1468, 1557, 1566, 1581 and 1588 are included under the topic Early Wigmoor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Wigmoor Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Wigmore, Wigmer, Wiggmore and others. Early Notables of the Wigmoor familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wigmoor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Wigmoor family to Ireland
Some of the Wigmoor family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Wigmoor familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Wigmoor or a variant listed above were: Elias Wiggmore who settled in Virginia in 1635; Nathaniel Wiggmore settled in Virginia in 1663; James Wiggmore arrived in Pennsylvania in 1771.
- 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)
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England
Ireland
