Duncombe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Duncombe surname lived in the village of Duncombe, in Durham. There is also a Duncombe in Lancashire which is in the north country too. This local name was originally derived from the Old English word dun, which literally means hill. The second part of the name, comb was originally derived from the Old English word cumb, which refers to a short, straight valley. Therefore Duncombe was literally a hill in a short, straight valley. 1

Early Origins of the Duncombe family

The surname Duncombe was first found in Buckinghamshire where early records show Richard de Ingen held a barony in this shire since the Domesday Book. 2

"Duncombe or D'Engaine, [originated in] Engen or Ingen, near Boulogne, [Normandy, France]. Richard and William de Ingen accompanied the Conqueror. The former in 1086 held a barony in Buckinghamshire. Vitalis D'Ingen, his son, temp. Henry I., had Richard, who married a daughter of Alberic de Yer, Earl of Oxford, and was Baron of Blatherwick, Northamptonshire. His son, Richard D'Engaine, 1165, held in Buckinghamshire from Paganel of Dudley; and had, 1, Vitalis, ancestor of the Barons D'Engaine by writ, 1296; 2, Ralph D'Engaine (written Dungun or Dungeom in the Testa de Neville), 3 who held Holcombe, Oxford, and in 1253 as Ralph D'Ungun was Lord of Tingewick, Buckinghamshire." 4

From this latter reference, the name was listed as Dunguns, Dengaines, Dungems and then gradually was changed to Duncombe, the more popular spelling since the 16th century.

"The manor-house of Tangley [in Wonersh, Surrey], originally a hunting-box of King John's, was in 1585 converted into a residence for the family of Sir Francis Duncombe." 5

"The Duncombes of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the 16th and 17th centuries were gentry of note and position, whose names occur among the list of contributors to the fund collected at the time of the expected invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Those of Bedfordshire lived at that time at Battlesden and other places, and served as sheriffs for the county. The Duncombes or Doncombes of Buckinghamshire lived in the 16th century at Great Brickell, Barliende, Wingrave, Dinton, and East Claidon." 6

Early History of the Duncombe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duncombe research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1648, 1672, 1676, 1685, 1687, 1690, 1695, 1698, 1702, 1707, 1708, 1711, 1718, 1747, 1763, 1769, 1797, 1800, 1807 and 1826 are included under the topic Early Duncombe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duncombe Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Duncombe are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Duncombe include: Duncombe, Duncome, Duncomb, Duncome, Dunscomb, Dunscombe, Duncumb and many more.

Early Notables of the Duncombe family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir John Duncombe (1622-1687), an English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer of England (1672-1676); Sir Charles Duncombe (1648-1711), English banker and politician who served as a Member of Parl...
Anthony Duncombe (died 1708), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Hedon (1698-1702) and (1702-1707.) Hi son, Anthony Duncombe (1695-1763), was Sheriff of London, who was created 1st Baron...

Duncombe migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Duncombe or a variant listed above:

Duncombe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joe Duncombe, aged 46, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 7
Jon Duncombe, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 7
John Duncombe, who landed in Virginia in 1637 7
Thomas Duncombe, who landed in Virginia in 1653 7
Alex Duncombe, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duncombe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Eliza Duncombe, aged 14, who landed in New York in 1864 7

Duncombe migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Duncombe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Matthias Duncombe, (b. 1814), aged 22 who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1887 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Duncombe (post 1700) +

Charles Duncombe, American politician, Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1880 9
Charles Duncombe, American politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1859, 1863 9
C. F. Duncombe, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1908 9
A. O. Duncombe, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1904 9
Nick Duncombe (1982-2003), English rugby union footballer
Sir Phillip Duncombe (1818-1890), English nobleman, 1st Baronet Pauncefort-Duncombe
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (1796-1861), English politician
Charles Duncombe (1802-1887), American-born, Canadian physician and political figure, leader in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles William Reginald Duncombe (1879-1916), British politician and soldier, 2nd Earl of Feversham
William Ernest Duncombe (1829-1915), British Conservative politician, created 1st Earl of Feversham in 1868

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)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
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.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html