McHerbarte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

McHerbarte is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The McHerbarte family lived in Gloucestershire. Their name, however, is of Norman derivation, and refers to the proximity of their former place of residence to the sea. McHerbarte is a latter variation of the earlier local surname de la Mare, which literally translates as of the sea, or from the sea. Another source claims the name originated from the "ancient Forest of Delamere, foresta de la Mare," and literally meant "forest of the lake." 1

Early Origins of the McHerbarte family

The surname McHerbarte was first found in Gloucestershire where Guillaume (William) de La Mare was a tenant in Chief of lands in both this county and in Herefordshire. He also held lands in 1086 A.D. in Wiltshire and Hertfordshire as a sub tenant under the name William de La Mare. 2 He held many lordships. He came from Lamare at St. Opportune in the arrondisement of Pont Audemer in Normandy where his castle was built on piles on the border of the lake. 3

He was sometimes called William FitzNorman and was the scion of that family name. Marsh Baldon in Oxfordshire was an ancient family seat. "This parish, originally called Meres or Mars and ultimately Marsh Baldon, derives its distinguishing name from one De la Mare, a descendant of whom was patron of the living in 1381. " 4

William de La Mare (fl. 1272-1279) was an English Franciscan theologian who is known to have preached in Lincoln.

Sir John Delamare (c. 1320-1383), was an English knight at the court of King Edward III. He was granted permission to turn his manor house at Nunney into Nunney Castle in 1373. He served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1374 and later High Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1377. His niece Eleanor Delamere, who inherited his estates died in 1413 and those estates were passed on to William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester. 5

Sir Peter De la Mere (fl. 1370), was "Speaker of the House of Commons, was Mesne Lord of the Manor of Yatton in Herefordshire, and was Seneschal of the Earl of March, who held the manor in capite. He was elected knight of the shire for his county in the parliament which met in April 1376, and which, from the popularity acquired by its attempts to reform abuses, went by the name of the Good parliament, and was chosen Speaker of the Commons." 5

As one would imagine, early rolls show a wide variety of spellings: Coleman de Lamora in Northumberland 1135-1185; Robert de la Mare, at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1190; William de la Mere in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1260; Henry Dalamare, a Freeman of York in 1385; Thomas Dallamour another Freeman of York in 1732; and John Dallamore, a Freeman of York in 1733. 6

Early History of the McHerbarte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McHerbarte research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1285, 1294, 1320, 1372, 1373, 1376, 1383, 1387, 1408, 1685 and 1857 are included under the topic Early McHerbarte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McHerbarte Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like McHerbarte 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 McHerbarte include Delamere, Delamare, DeleMere, DelaMare, Delemare, Delamare, Delamere, Delemare, DeLaMar, DeLaMarre, DeLaMaior, FitzNorman, Fitznorman, Delamore, Dalamaire, Delamar, Delamare, Delmore, Lamere, MacHerbert and many more.

Early Notables of the McHerbarte family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William De La Mare (died c.1285), English Franciscan theologian; Sir Peter de la Mare (died c. 1387), High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1372, best remembered as the Presiding Officer of the House of Commons during the Good Parliament of 1376; and Sir John Delamare (c...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McHerbarte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McHerbarte family to Ireland

Some of the McHerbarte family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McHerbarte family

Faced 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 McHerbarte, or a variant listed above: Joseph Delamore who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1821; G. Delamare settled in New Orleans La. in 1822; John Delamaire settled in Maryland in 1674.

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)
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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)