Blomfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Blomfield was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Blomfield family lived in Norfolk, where the family has a rich history dating back many years. Their name, however, derives from their previous locality of residence, Blundeville, near Pont l'Eveque, Normandy. 1
Early Origins of the Blomfield family
The surname Blomfield was first found in Cheshire at Beeston, a township, in the parish of Bunbury, union of Nantwich, First division of the hundred of Eddisbury. "This place takes its name from a castle founded by Ranulph de Blundeville, about 1220, and which was made a royal garrison in the war between Henry III. and the confederate barons." 2 He was the son and heir of Hugh 'de Kivelioc,' Earl (palatine) of Chester, whom he succeeded in 1180. "His surname, like his father's, was derived from his birthplace, 'Blundevill' being identified by Dugdale with Oswestry. " 3
Thomas de Blundeville or Blunville (d. 1236), was Bishop of Norwich. He "was the son of Robert de Blunville of Newton; Flotman, Norfolk, and younger brother of William de Blunville, constable of Corfe Castle during the reign of King John." 3
However, most sources believe the family was originally from Norfolk as by example, "History or Norfolk" had two early entries for the family using early spellings: John de Blomevile, 1249; and William de Blundevile, 1283 while the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry: William de Blumvile, Norfolk 1273. 4
Another source notes: "Bloomfield, a village in Worcestershire, and probably other localities. Norfolk has long been the greatest habitat of the name. " 5
"Bailiffs of Ipswich in the reigns of Edward IV., Henry VII., and Charles II., bore the name of Blomfield. " 6
Early History of the Blomfield family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blomfield research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1524, 1525, 1574, 1576, 1638, 1642, 1653, 1768, 1825 and 1846 are included under the topic Early Blomfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blomfield Spelling Variations
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Bloomefield, Blundeville, Blomfield, Blumfield, Blundville and many more.
Early Notables of the Blomfield family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Miles Blomefield (1525-1574?), alchemist, who recorded some particulars of his birth and parentage in a quaint note written by himself in a volume which is preserved in the library of St. John's College, Cambridge, and which contains a unique copy of 'the boke called the Informacyon for pylgrymes vnto the holy lande,' printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1524: 'I...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blomfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Blomfield family to Ireland
Some of the Blomfield family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blomfield migration to the United States +
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Blomfield or a variant listed above:
Blomfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Miss Sarah Blomfield, aged 1, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1634, found in Cambridge. 7
- William Blomfield, aged 30, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1634, found in Cambridge 7
- Mrs. Sarah Blomfield, aged 25, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Elizabeth", found in Cambridge. 7
- John Blomfield, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 7
Blomfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Joseph Blomfield, who landed in Virginia in 1735 7
Blomfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Blomfield, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1827 7
Blomfield migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Blomfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Robert Blomfield, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
- Mr. John Blomfield, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Mary Blomfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Hyde" in 1849 10
Blomfield migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Blomfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Jane Blomfield, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1838
- R Blomfield, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Mandarin
- Eliza Blomfield, aged 30, a housemaid, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "India" in 1875 11
Contemporary Notables of the name Blomfield (post 1700) +
- Ezekiel Blomfield (1778-1818), English compiler, born on 28 Oct. 1778 at North Walsham, Norfolk 12
- Edward Valentine Blomfield (1788-1816), English classical scholar, younger brother of Charles James Blomfield, second son of Charles Blomfield, a schoolmaster at Bury St. Edmunds 12
- Charles James Blomfield (1786-1857), English divine, Bishop of London, born on 29 May 1786 at Bury St. Edmunds where his father, Charles Blomfield kept a school
- Sir Arthur William Blomfield (1829-1899), English architect
- Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856-1942), English architect, garden designer and author
- Mr. Thomas Benjamin Blomfield O.B.E., British entrepreneur founder of GoCardless, Co-Founder and Chief Executive for Monzo, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Improving Competition and to Financial Inclusion in the Banking Sector 13
Citations +
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- 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)
- Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM HYDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849WilliamHyde.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists