We must look to France for the early origins of the name Mutimer. 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. 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. 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] Mortemer derives from the Old French "mort," meaning "dead," and "mer," meaning "sea."
The surname Mutimer 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. [2] "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." [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." [3] 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." [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mutimer research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1328, 1827, 1287, 1330, 1321, 1324, 1328, 1360, 1352, 1381, 1374, 1398, 1376, 1409, 1390 and 1411 are included under the topic Early Mutimer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Mutimer 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 Mutimer include Mortimer, Mortimor and others.
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 Mutimer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.