Lumley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

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Early Origins of the Lumley family

The surname Lumley was first found in Durham where the first recorded ancestor was Liulph, who lived before the year 1080. 1 Great Lumley is a village south east of Chester-le-Street, near Lumley Castle.

"On a fine eminence, sloping to the eastern bank of the river Wear, stands the stately castle of Lumley, erected in the reign of Edward I. by Robert de Lumley, ancestor of the Earl of Scarborough. 2

Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley (c. 1360-1400), an English peer held Lumley Castle, a quadrangular castle built in 1389 after returning from wars in Scotland. However, he was implicated in a plot to overthrow King Henry IV, imprisoned and later executed, forfeiting his lands to the Earl of Somerset. But by 1421, his grandson Thomas managed to reclaim Lumley Castle. Today the restored castle is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in County Durham with the ghost of the wife of Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley repeatly floating up from the well to haunt the castle. It is claimed that she was thrown down the well by two priests for rejecting the Catholic faith.

East Murton in Durham played an important part in the early family lineage. "The manor and vill were the property of the family of Lumley from an early date to the reign of Elizabeth; the ancient tenure is uniformly described to be by homage and fealty, in free and common socage." 2

The township of Waldridge in Durham was home to another branch of the family. "This place was long the estate of the Lumleys, of whom John, Lord Lumley, alienated it to the Smith family in 1607; it has since passed through various families." 2

The Lambley variant hails from Lambley, a parish, in the union of Haltwhistle, W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland or Lambley, a parish, in the union of Basford, S. division of the wapentake of Thurgarton and of the county of Nottingham. 2

Early History of the Lumley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lumley research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1360, 1384, 1400, 1429, 1450, 1533, 1537, 1578, 1609, 1650, 1658, 1685, 1686, 1692, 1704, 1708, 1710, 1717, 1721, 1722 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Lumley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lumley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lumley, Lumly and others.

Early Notables of the Lumley family

Notables of the family at this time include

Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley (c. 1360-1400), an English peer
Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley
John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley (c. 1533-1609), an English aristocrat who is remembered as one of the greatest collectors of art and books of his age
1537-1578), née Fitzalan, the first person to translate Euripides into English, they both lived at Lumley Castle in Durham
Richard Lumley, 2nd Earl of Scarbrough KG PC (1686-1740), a British Whig politician
Henry Lumley, Viscount Lumley (c.1685-1710), British nobleman and politician, Member of Parliament for Arundel (1708-1710) who died of smallpox

Lumley Ranking

In the United States, the name Lumley is the 10,466^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Lumley family to Ireland

Some of the Lumley 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.

Lumley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lumley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Donald Lumley, who settled in Virginia in 1650

Lumley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Benj Lumley, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 4

Lumley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward Adrian Lumley, aged 33, who immigrated to America from Cookham, England, in 1912
Agnes Lumley, aged 14, who landed in America from Darlington, England, in 1913
Glyn Lumley, aged 3, who landed in America from Borth, Wales, in 1914
George Lumley, aged 43, who settled in America from Whitley Bay, England, in 1916
Edward Lumley, aged 16, who landed in America from Sheffield, England, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lumley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lumley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Lumley and Ruth settled with their two children in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia in 1774
John Lumley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
Thomas Lumley, aged 45, who arrived in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
William Lumley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
Mr. John Lumley U.E. who arrived at Canada on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 267 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lumley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

David Wm. Lumley, aged 0, who immigrated to London, Canada, in 1919

Lumley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lumley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Lumley, (b. 1811), aged 20, English carter who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1894 6
George Lumley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Munn" in 1849 7

Lumley 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:

Lumley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Amelia F Lumley, (b. 1842), aged 18, British domestic servant travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Lumley (post 1700) +

John Leask Lumley (1930-2015), American professor mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering at Cornell University
Harry Garfield Lumley (1880-1938), American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager who played from 1904 to 1910 for the Brooklyn Superbas
John Lumley Sr., American Republican politician, Chair of Sullivan County Republican Party, 1953 9
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley OBE, DBE, FRGS (b. 1946), English Tony award nominated actress and former model, perhaps best known for her roles in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), and James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Robert 'Bobby" Lumley (1933-2017), English professional footballer
Brian Lumley (b. 1937), English horror-fiction writer, awarded a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010
Karen Elizabeth Lumley (1964-2023), British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Redditch (2010-2017)
Robin Lumley (1948-2023), British jazz fusion musician, keyboardist, record producer, and author, member of the band Brand X with drummer Phil Collins, guitarist John Goodsall, and bassist Percy Jones
Air Commodore Eric Lumley, British Army Medical Officer in World War I and transferred to the RAF in 1919
Judith M. Lumley (b. 1941), Australian perinatal epidemiologist
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lumley family +

The Lumley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Murus aeneus conscientia sana
Motto Translation: A sound conscience is a wall of brass.