Dunmall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Dunmall is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dunmall family lived in Essex, at Great Dunmow or Little Dunmow.

Great Dunmow "is supposed by Bishop Gibson to be the site of the Roman station Cæsaromagus, and this conjecture has been adopted by other antiquaries; coins have been discovered at several places near the town, and the road leading from it to Colchester, which was probably Camalodunum, displays some indications of Roman construction. At the time of the Norman survey it was the chief place in the hundred to which it gives name, and in 1250 it was made a market-town." 1

Little Dunmow "is celebrated for an ancient custom connected with the manor of Little Dunmow, of delivering a gammon, or flitch of bacon, on demand to any couple who, after having been married a year and a day, will swear that neither party has repented, and that no cause of quarrel or complaint has arisen between them. Before the Reformation the oath used to be administered, and the bacon given, by the prior of the convent; and since, the ceremony has been occasionally performed at a court Baron before the steward of the manor. The institution of the custom is supposed to have taken place soon after the Norman Conquest." 1

In the church of Little Dunmow, "is a monument with a female figure in alabaster, said to represent Matilda Fitz-Walter, famous in legendary story as the wife or mistress of Robin Hood, and the object of the illicit passion of King John, who is stated to have caused her to be poisoned, in revenge for having rejected his addresses." 1

Early Origins of the Dunmall family

The surname Dunmall was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Dunmow. Originally, the Saxon spelling was Dommauua. 2

Conjecturally, the family name is descended from one of the holders of land identified by the Domesday Book Survey taken in 1086, as sharing estates at Dunmow. These were Adeluf de Marck from Count Eutace, the tenant in Chief, Wulfbert from Earl William Warren, Edmer from the Swain of Essex, Ralph from Eudo the Steward, Serlo from Hamo the Steward, Martel and William from Geoffrey de Mandeville.

All these shared the estates of the villages Great Dunmow and Little Dunmow, and, genealogically speaking, it is difficult to identify which of these land holders at the taking of the Domesday Book 3 was the scion of the Dunmow family name. The villages, Little and Greater Dunmow, contained 3 Mills, 20 Beehives, 65 goats, 11 Cobs(work horses,) and 21 cattle, holdings which gave it a rating of being a fairly large and influential town by Domesday standards.

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spellings in use over the years: Ralph de Dunmauue was registered at Colchester, Essex in 1198; Richard de Dunmawe was registered in 1270; Roger de Dunmowe was registered in London in 1339; and John Dunmowe was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1374. 4

Early History of the Dunmall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunmall research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1104 is included under the topic Early Dunmall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunmall Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Dunmow, Dunmowe, Dunmough, Dunmo, Dunmole and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunmall family

More information is included under the topic Early Dunmall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dunmall family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Dunmall or a variant listed above: Francis Dunmole who landed in America in 1754.

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunmall (post 1700) +

Paul Dunmall, British jazz saxophonist

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)