Mordimer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

We must look to France for the early origins of the name Mordimer. For it is here that early records this family descends from Walter, Lord of St. Martin, Normandy who married a niece of the Duchess Gunnora c. 980. Roger, Sire de Mortimer was a leader of the army of Duke William and helped defeat the French in 1054. 1

His son Roger de Mortimer was a leader at the Battle of Hastings and was granted a great barony for his efforts. From him, descended the Lords Mortimer of Wigmore, Earls of March.

Very few entries in the Domesday Book of 1086 include a full name; this name is one of those exceptions. For there, we find Ralph de Mortemer, de Mortuo Mari. 2 3

The etymology of the name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Moretemer, in the Seine-Maritime region of Normandy 1 where Mortemer derives from the Old French "mort," meaning "dead," and "mer," meaning "sea."

Early Origins of the Mordimer family

The surname Mordimer was first found in Herefordshire where Ranulph de Mortimer (before 1070), who accompanied William the Conqueror was granted Wigmore Castle. The family became the Lords of Wigmore. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed the following entries: Ralph de Mortimer in Lincolnshire; and Hugh de Mortuomari, and Lucia de Mortuomari in Herefordshire. 4 "The parish [of Woodham-Mortimer], called in some documents Little Woodham, derives its present adjunct from the family of Mortimer, to whom it anciently belonged." 5

Peter Mortemer held lands in Sussex according to the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. 3

Some of the family held a family seat at Attleburgh in Norfolk in ancient times. "It was anciently the capital of Norfolk, and the residence of Offa and Edmund, kings of East Anglia; and was subsequently the seat of the Mortimer family, the site of whose baronial hall is still encompassed by a moat. In the reign of Richard II., Robert de Mortimer founded a collegiate establishment, in the church of the Holy Cross, for a warden and four secular priests." 5

Some moved up to Scotland. "The first of the name recorded in Scotland is probably William de Mortimer who sometime after 1165 witnessed King William the Lion's confirmation of the charter of Philip de Euermel to Neubotel." 6

Early History of the Mordimer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mordimer research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1054, 1287, 1321, 1324, 1328, 1330, 1352, 1360, 1374, 1376, 1381, 1390, 1398, 1409, 1411 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Mordimer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mordimer Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Mortimer, Mortimor and others.

Early Notables of the Mordimer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (c.1287-1330), an English nobleman in the Welsh marches, who surrendered to Edward II in 1321, and escaped from the Tower of London in 1324; and his son, Sir Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, 4th Baron Mortimer, KG (1328-1360), an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War; and his son, Edmund de Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and jure uxoris Earl of Ulster (1352-1381); and his son, and Roger de Mortimer...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mordimer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mordimer family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Mordimer or a variant listed above: John Mortimore, who came to Virginia in 1663; James Mortimer, who came to Pennsylvania in 1696; Margaret Mortimer, who came to Pennsylvania in 1683; George Mortimore, who arrived in Jamaica in 1716.

Citations +

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)
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)