Show ContentsPembartombe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The present generation of the Pembartombe family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the township of Pemberton which was in Wigan in the county of Lancashire. This surname was originally derived from Old Welsh and Old English terms which denoted that the original bearers of the Pembartombe surname lived by the barley farm near a hill.

Early Origins of the Pembartombe family

The surname Pembartombe was first found in Lancashire at Pemberton, a township, in the parish and union of Wigan, hundred of West Derby. Adam de Pemberton, who held lands here, was living in the reign of Richard I. In the 34th of Edward I., another Adam de Pemberton brought an action of trespass against Thurstan de Northlegh and Matilda his wife, for cutting down his woods at Pemberton under pretext of taking estovers. 1 Another early branch of the family was found at Aislaby in Durham. "There was anciently a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas the Martyr, which was founded by William de Aslakby (now Aislaby) and Agnes his wife, in 1313; and the place was for several generations the residence of the family of Pemberton, whose mansion has been converted into an inn and several other tenements." 1

Early History of the Pembartombe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pembartombe research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1595, 1611, 1624, 1694, 1697 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Pembartombe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pembartombe 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 Pembartombe include Pemberton, Pembertone, Pembartone, Pambarton and others.

Early Notables of the Pembartombe family

Distinguished members of the family include Robert Pember (died 1560), an English classical scholar, he was a reader in Greek at Trinity College, Cambridge and taught Roger Ascham Greek. Henry Pemberton (1694-1771), was an English physician and writer from London. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society and edited some of Sir...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pembartombe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pembartombe 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 Pembartombe were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Alice and John Pemberton, who came to Salem, Mass in 1630; James Pemberton, his wife and two children settled in Barbados in 1630; Phineas Pemberton settled with his wife Phoebe in Maryland in 1682.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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