Bronscum History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of BronscumWhat does the name Bronscum mean? The name Bronscum is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Devon, where they held a family seat at Branscombe in the 9th century. Shortly after the Norman Conquest the estates of Branscombe were owned by the Bishop of Exeter and according to the Domesday Book, 1 150 sheep were part of the holdings contributed to the supplies of the Abbey of Exeter. Early Origins of the Bronscum familyThe surname Bronscum was first found in Devon at Branscombe, a village that dates back to the ninth century. At that time, the village was named Branecescumbe but by the Domesday Book of 1086, it was listed there as Branchescome. The estates of Branscombe were owned by the Bishop of Exeter and the 150 sheep which was part of the holdings contributed to the supplies of the Abbey of Exeter. 1 The place name literally means "valley of a man called Branoc," for the Celtic personal name + the Old English "Cumb." 2 One of the earliest records of the surname was Walter Branscombe (Bronscombe, Branescombe, Bronescombe, Bronescomb c. 1220-1280), born in Exeter, an early English priest, Bishop of Exeter from 1258 to 1280; he is buried in Exeter Castle. "The church [of Colon, Cornwall] is said to have been erected and endowed by Walter Bronscomb, bishop of Exeter, about the year 1250, and by him appropriated to the Augustine canons of his college of Glaseney near Penryn." 3 Early History of the Bronscum familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bronscum research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1327 is included under the topic Early Bronscum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bronscum Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bronscum family name include Brancomb, Bronscombe, Branscom, Bronscom and others. Early Notables of the Bronscum familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bronscum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bronscum familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bronscum surname or a spelling variation of the name include : James Branscomb who settled in Barbados in 1692.
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