| ![Show Contents]() Cumbers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the bearers of the Cumbers family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in a small valley. The surname Cumbers is derived from the Old English word cumb, which means valley. The surname Cumbers belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational name for 'the comber,' as in 'the wool comber.' [1] "The early importance of this occupation was bound to create and preserve this surname. " [2] Early Origins of the Cumbers familyThe surname Cumbers was first found in various counties an shires throughout ancient Britain. By example, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Richard le Cumbere in Cambridgeshire; and John le Cumbur in Oxfordshire. [2] Ralph (le) Cambere was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire (1201-1202.) Reginald Combere (le Camber) was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Hertfordshire in 1220 and Ralph le Combere and William le Comere were found in Norfolk in 1286. William le Combere was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1260 and later, John Comber was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [3] John a Kent and John a Cumber is a sixteenth-century English play by Anthony Munday (c. 1560-1633.) The exact dating of the play is not known but we do know that it was being performed on stage as early as 1587. It is generally thought that in this case, the comedic play's character was in fact John a' Cumber (relating to Cumberland) The play has parallels with Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Early History of the Cumbers familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cumbers research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1296, 1575, 1631, 1644, 1645, 1649, 1653, 1660, 1689 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Cumbers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cumbers Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cumbers include Comber, Comer, Commber, Commer, Combers, Commers and others. Early Notables of the Cumbers familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Comber (1575-1653), an English linguist, Dean of Carlisle and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1631-1645.) He was born at Shermanbury, Sussex, on 1 Jan. 1575, being the twelfth son of his father, who was a barrister-at-law. [4]Thomas Comber (1645-1699), was an English churchman from Barkham, Sussex, Dean of Durham from 1689. He "was descended from an ancient family at Barkham, Sussex. His father, James Comber, was the fourth son of John Comber, who was uncle to Thomas Comber, Dean of Carlisle. Thomas was born at Westerham on 19 March 1644-5...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cumbers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Cumbers family to Ireland
Some of the Cumbers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 48 words (3 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 Cumbers familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cumbers or a variant listed above: John Comer who settled in New England between 1620 and 1660; Richard Comer settled in America in 1773; George Stibband Comer settled in Maryland in 1776.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Cumbers (post 1700) | + |
- Luis Cumbers (b. 1988), English footballer
- Roger N. Cumbers, British 3rd officer of RRS John Biscoe, the ship which assisted the Royal Navy Hydrographic Survey Unit in the charting of this area in 1963, eponym of Cumbers Reef, Antarctica
- John Robert Cumbers (b. 1979), British molecular biologist, founder and chief executive officer of SynBioBeta which promotes synthetic biology to build a more sustainable universe
- Sydney "Long John Silver" Cumbers (1875-1959), British collector of merchant navy memorabilia of Merchant Navy memorabilia including his large figurehead collection
- Simon Cumbers (1968-2004), Irish journalist murdered in Saudi Arabia
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: Sapiens dominabitur astris
Motto Translation: A wise man can rule the stars.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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England
Ireland
