Mortimore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
We must look to France for the early origins of the name Mortimore. For it is here that early records this family descends from Walter, Lord of St. Martin, Normandy who married a niece of the Duchess Gunnora c. 980. Roger, Sire de Mortimer was a leader of the army of Duke William and helped defeat the French in 1054. 1
His son Roger de Mortimer was a leader at the Battle of Hastings and was granted a great barony for his efforts. From him, descended the Lords Mortimer of Wigmore, Earls of March.
Very few entries in the Domesday Book of 1086 include a full name; this name is one of those exceptions. For there, we find Ralph de Mortemer, de Mortuo Mari. 2 3
The etymology of the name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Moretemer, in the Seine-Maritime region of Normandy 1 where Mortemer derives from the Old French "mort," meaning "dead," and "mer," meaning "sea."
Early Origins of the Mortimore family
The surname Mortimore was first found in Herefordshire where Ranulph de Mortimer (before 1070), who accompanied William the Conqueror was granted Wigmore Castle. The family became the Lords of Wigmore. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed the following entries: Ralph de Mortimer in Lincolnshire; and Hugh de Mortuomari, and Lucia de Mortuomari in Herefordshire. 4 "The parish [of Woodham-Mortimer], called in some documents Little Woodham, derives its present adjunct from the family of Mortimer, to whom it anciently belonged." 5
Peter Mortemer held lands in Sussex according to the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. 3
Some of the family held a family seat at Attleburgh in Norfolk in ancient times. "It was anciently the capital of Norfolk, and the residence of Offa and Edmund, kings of East Anglia; and was subsequently the seat of the Mortimer family, the site of whose baronial hall is still encompassed by a moat. In the reign of Richard II., Robert de Mortimer founded a collegiate establishment, in the church of the Holy Cross, for a warden and four secular priests." 5
Some moved up to Scotland. "The first of the name recorded in Scotland is probably William de Mortimer who sometime after 1165 witnessed King William the Lion's confirmation of the charter of Philip de Euermel to Neubotel." 6
Early History of the Mortimore family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mortimore research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1054, 1287, 1321, 1324, 1328, 1330, 1352, 1360, 1374, 1376, 1381, 1390, 1398, 1409, 1411 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Mortimore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mortimore Spelling Variations
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Mortimore family name include Mortimer, Mortimor and others.
Early Notables of the Mortimore family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (c.1287-1330), an English nobleman in the Welsh marches, who surrendered to Edward II in 1321, and escaped from the Tower of London in 1324; and his son, Sir Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, 4th Baron Mortimer, KG (1328-1360), an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War; and his son, Edmund de Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and jure uxoris Earl of Ulster (1352-1381); and his son, and Roger de Mortimer...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mortimore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mortimore migration to the United States +
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Mortimore family to immigrate North America:
Mortimore Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Mortimore, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Mortimore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Alex Mortimore, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 7
Mortimore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Hy Mortimore, aged 21, who landed in America from England, in 1893
- John Mortimore, aged 72, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895
Mortimore Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Ernest Llewelly Mortimore, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Ivybridge, England, in 1907
- Robert W. Mortimore, aged 23, who settled in America from Liverpool, England, in 1907
- William Mortimore, aged 40, who landed in America from Manchester, England, in 1907
- Robert A. Mortimore, aged 0, who landed in America from England, in 1908
- Emma Mortimore, aged 28, who landed in America from Bristol, England, in 1912
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mortimore migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Mortimore Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Miss Dinah Mortimore, (b. 1830), aged 25, English servant, from Lifton, Devon, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she died in the sinking 8
- Miss Eliza Mortimore, (b. 1835), aged 20, English servant, from Lifton, Devon, England, UK departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she died in the sinking 8
Mortimore 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:
Mortimore Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Mortimore, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 9
- Martha Mortimore, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 9
- Mr. John Mortimore, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 10
- Mrs. Martha Mortimore, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 10
Mortimore migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
11Mortimore Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
- George Mortimore, who arrived in Jamaica in 1716
Contemporary Notables of the name Mortimore (post 1700) +
- John Mortimore (1934-2021), English football player and manager from Farnborough, Hampshire, England
- John Brian Mortimore (1933-2014), English cricketer, who played in nine Tests for England from 1959 to 1964
- Jim Mortimore, British science fiction writer
- Nathan Mortimore Newmark (1910-1981), American structural engineer and academic, awarded the National Medal of Science for engineering, eponym of the Nathan M. Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, the University of Illinois
- Harmon Mortimore Kephart (b. 1865), American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Fayette County, 1895-96; Pennsylvania State Treasurer, 1917-21 12
Historic Events for the Mortimore family +
- Mr. Francis John Mortimore, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 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)
- 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)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- 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)
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html