Edmun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Edmun family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the given name Edmond. 1 2

Saint Edmund or Eadmund (841-870), was King of the East Angles, martyr, and saint and was born in Saxony in the city of Nüremberg in 841, being the son of King Alkmund and Queen Scivare. "Eadmund began his reign on 25 Dec. 855, and was crowned and anointed king of East Anglia by Humbert, bishop of Hulme, the following Christmas day, being then fifteen years old." 3

Edmund or Eadmund (922?-946), king of the English, was son of Eadward the Elder and Edmund called Ironside (981?-1016), was king, the third son, probably, of Æthelred the Unready. Saint Edmund (1170?-1240), was Archbishop of Canterbury, born on St. Edmund's day (20 Nov.), probably between 1170 and 1175. 3

Early Origins of the Edmun family

The surname Edmun was first found in Oxfordshire, where the first on record of the family was Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent (1301-1330), youngest son of Edward I, by his second wife, Margaret of France. Born at Woodstock, he received from his father a revenue of seven thousand marks a year. It is thought that Edward I was to confer the rich earldom of Cornwall either on Edmund or on his elder brother Thomas of Brotherton; but the accession of Edward II negated that possibility. Edward II made Edmund Lord of the Castle and Honour of Knaresborough in 1319 and the next year granted him lands of the value of two thousand marks a year. 3

Many of the early records were in Latin as per the following: Simon dl. Edmundi, Norfolk; and Thomas filius Edmundi, Kent, both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. included the forename Edmund filius Osmund, Berkshire, Henry III-Edward I 5 and later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes Edmund; and Edmundua del Grange. 4

Early History of the Edmun family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edmun research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1563, 1564, 1582, 1622 and 1639 are included under the topic Early Edmun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edmun Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Edmun include Edmond, Edmonde, Edmon, Edmonds, Edmun, Edmund, Edmunds and many more.

Early Notables of the Edmun family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Edmunds (died 1544), English Master of Peterhouse. 3

Migration of the Edmun family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Edmun were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Thomas Edmond who settled in Virginia in 1654. There was a John Edmonds living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630. Phillip Edmund brought his family to Barbados in 1663.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)