Ornblow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Ornblow is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who was employed as a hornblower. In the Middle Ages, workmen were often summoned to work by the blowing of a horn. The surname Ornblow is derived from the Old English word hornblawere, which means hornblower. 1

"In the Middle Ages workmen were called to work by the ringing of bells or by a horn. In 1320, at Caernarvon, Walter de la Grene was paid 1d. per week ‘for blowing the horn’ " 2

"Cornage is a law term (Latin cornagium) for a species of tenure in grand segjeanty, 'the service of which was to blow a horn when any invasion of the Scots was perceived; and by this tenure many persons held their lands northward, about the wall, commonly called the Pict's Wall.' The person who performed this duty for the lord, probably acquired the surname. At Ripon there prevails a peculiar custom, 'which according to some is of a date prior to the Conquest, viz., to blow a horn every night at nine o'clock; and formerly if any house or shop was robbed between that hour and sunrise the loss was made good to the sufferer, by a yearly tax of fourpence, imposed on every house-keeper. The tax is now discontinued, but the custom is still kept up of blowing the horn every night, three times at the mayor's door, and three times at the market-cross. The officer who performs this duty is called the Horn-blower.' " 3

Early Origins of the Ornblow family

The surname Ornblow was first found in Essex, where John and Geoffrey le Homblauere were listed in 1255 and in the Assize Rolls for 1285. Adam Horneblawer was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. 2

The fictional courageous and a skilled seaman Horatio Hornblower is the protagonist in over twenty series of novels and stories by the English novelist, C.S. Forester (1899-1966).

Early History of the Ornblow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ornblow research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1255, 1285, 1608, 1626, 1692, 1712, 1717, 1725, 1729, 1745, 1748, 1753, 1761, 1765, 1766, 1780 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Ornblow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ornblow Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Ornblow has appeared include Hornblow, Hornblower, Horneblow, Horneblower and others.

Early Notables of the Ornblow family

Distinguished members of the family include

Jonathan Hornblower (1717-1780), engineer, belonged to a family which for two generations had shown much inventive genius. "His father, Joseph Hornblower (1692?-1761), born at Broseley, Shropshire, ma...

Migration of the Ornblow family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Ornblow arrived in North America very early: Josiah Hornblower, who immigrated to America in 1753.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.