| ![Show Contents]() Dunmoe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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England
Etymology of DunmoeWhat does the name Dunmoe mean? Dunmoe is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dunmoe 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 Dunmoe familyThe surname Dunmoe 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 Dunmoe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunmoe research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1104 is included under the topic Early Dunmoe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dunmoe Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Dunmoe are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Dunmoe include Dunmow, Dunmowe, Dunmough, Dunmo, Dunmole and many more. Early Notables of the Dunmoe familyMore information is included under the topic Early Dunmoe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Dunmoe familyFaced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Dunmoe, or a variant listed above: Francis Dunmole who landed in America in 1754.
- 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)
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