De la mere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

De la mere is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The De la mere family lived in Gloucestershire. Their name, however, is of Norman derivation, and refers to the proximity of their former place of residence to the sea. De la mere is a latter variation of the earlier local surname de la Mare, which literally translates as of the sea, or from the sea. Another source claims the name originated from the "ancient Forest of Delamere, foresta de la Mare," and literally meant "forest of the lake." 1

Early Origins of the De la mere family

The surname De la mere was first found in Gloucestershire where Guillaume (William) de La Mare was a tenant in Chief of lands in both this county and in Herefordshire. He also held lands in 1086 A.D. in Wiltshire and Hertfordshire as a sub tenant under the name William de La Mare. 2 He held many lordships. He came from Lamare at St. Opportune in the arrondisement of Pont Audemer in Normandy where his castle was built on piles on the border of the lake. 3

He was sometimes called William FitzNorman and was the scion of that family name. Marsh Baldon in Oxfordshire was an ancient family seat. "This parish, originally called Meres or Mars and ultimately Marsh Baldon, derives its distinguishing name from one De la Mare, a descendant of whom was patron of the living in 1381. " 4

William de La Mare (fl. 1272-1279) was an English Franciscan theologian who is known to have preached in Lincoln.

Sir John Delamare (c. 1320-1383), was an English knight at the court of King Edward III. He was granted permission to turn his manor house at Nunney into Nunney Castle in 1373. He served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1374 and later High Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1377. His niece Eleanor Delamere, who inherited his estates died in 1413 and those estates were passed on to William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester. 5

Sir Peter De la Mere (fl. 1370), was "Speaker of the House of Commons, was Mesne Lord of the Manor of Yatton in Herefordshire, and was Seneschal of the Earl of March, who held the manor in capite. He was elected knight of the shire for his county in the parliament which met in April 1376, and which, from the popularity acquired by its attempts to reform abuses, went by the name of the Good parliament, and was chosen Speaker of the Commons." 5

As one would imagine, early rolls show a wide variety of spellings: Coleman de Lamora in Northumberland 1135-1185; Robert de la Mare, at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1190; William de la Mere in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1260; Henry Dalamare, a Freeman of York in 1385; Thomas Dallamour another Freeman of York in 1732; and John Dallamore, a Freeman of York in 1733. 6

Early History of the De la mere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De la mere research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1285, 1294, 1320, 1372, 1373, 1376, 1383, 1387, 1408, 1685 and 1857 are included under the topic Early De la mere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De la mere Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name De la mere have been found, including Delamere, Delamare, DeleMere, DelaMare, Delemare, Delamare, Delamere, Delemare, DeLaMar, DeLaMarre, DeLaMaior, FitzNorman, Fitznorman, Delamore, Dalamaire, Delamar, Delamare, Delmore, Lamere, MacHerbert and many more.

Early Notables of the De la mere family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William De La Mare (died c.1285), English Franciscan theologian; Sir Peter de la Mare (died c. 1387), High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1372, best remembered as the Presiding Officer of the House of Commons during the Good Parliament of 1376; and Sir John Delamare (c...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early De la mere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the De la mere family to Ireland

Some of the De la mere 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.

De la mere migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name De la mere were among those contributors:

De la mere Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward J Delamere, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1855 7
Patricia Delamere, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1858 7

De la mere 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:

De la mere Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Delamere, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name De la mere (post 1700) +

Louise Alexandra Delamere (b. 1969), English actress, best known for her roles as Lia in the Channel 4 comedy drama No Angels and Colette Sheward in the BBC medical drama Holby City
Natalie Delamere (b. 1996), New Zealand rugby union player, member of the Black Ferns 2021 Rugby World Cup champion squad
Paora Kingi Delamere (1889-1981), New Zealand carpenter, boat builder, farmer and ringatu leader
Bill Delamere (1935-2023), Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s
Sir Monita Eru Delamere KBE JP (1921-1993), New Zealand rugby player, Ringatu leader, community leader
Neil Delamere (b. 1979), Irish comedian, a regular on the BBC Northern Ireland television show The Blame Game
Tuariki John Edward Delamere (b. 1951), former New Zealand politician and athlete, 48th Minister of Immigration (1998-1999), Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Te Tai Rawhiti (1996-1999)
John Delamere (b. 1956), Irish former professional footballer who played as a striker
D'Arcy Delamere, Vice-President of Retirement Income Services for the Royal Bank of Canada since 1992
Delamere Francis McCloskey (1897-1983), Canadian-born, American lawyer who represented the 1st District on the Los Angeles City Council from 1941 to 1945

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)