The name Dumbill reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dumbill family lived in Cheshire. The family was originally from Dumville, in the arrondisement of Lisieux in Normandy. "The family, who probably entered England at the Conquest, were resident in co. Chester from the time of Henry III. till the beginning of the XVIII. cent." [1]
The surname Dumbill was first found in Cheshire where the family was originally of Donville in the arrondisement of Lisieux in Normandy. The family held estates at Thingwell in Cheshire in early times. One of the first records of the family was Adam de Dunville 1182, who witnessed a charter in Chester. [2]
"In the reign of Richard II. this place was held by the Domvilles, from whom it passed, through the Hulses and the Troutbecks, to the ancestors of the Earl of Shrewsbury." [3]
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry for the family: Hugo de Donvile, or Donvil, Salop (Shropshire.) [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dumbill research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1565, 1624, 1624, 1678, 1624, 1641, 1742, 1833, 1813, 1613, 1609, 1689, 1650, 1721, 1696 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Dumbill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Dumbill family name include Domvile, Domville, Donvill, Donville, Dunville and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Domville (1565-1624)
Silas Domville (1624-1678), was an English antiquary, the son of Silvanus Taylor, a committee-man for Herefordshire and 'a grand Oliverian,' born at Harley, near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, on 16 July 1624. "Although Wood calls him Domville or D'omville, it does not appear that Taylor...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dumbill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Dumbill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Dumbill family to immigrate North America: