Rymor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Rymor is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person who had the gift of poetry as in "the ryhmer, poet versifier, singer" 1 and as such came from a variety of places throughout the United Kingdom.

Probably the most famous of the name in early records was Thomas of Erceldoune, sometimes styled Thomas Learmonth (fl. c. 1220-1298), a Scottish laird in Berwickshire and reputed prophet who was known by the sobriquets Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas. 2

According to tradition, Thomas the Rhymer, was carried off by the "Queen of Elfland" and returned having gained the gift of prophecy, as well as the inability to tell a lie. The story appears in at least five manuscripts and as the protagonist in the popular ballad "Thomas the Rhymer."

The name denoted "doubtless a person skilled in making verses, like the far-famed Scotchman, Thomas the Rhymer. King Henry II. kept a court poet, or poet-laureate, called Master Henry the Versifier, and paid him one hundred shillings per annum for his poesy. Still earlier, Henry I. had a bard who wrote laudatory verses about his master, and was called Walo Versificator." 3

Early Origins of the Rymor family

The surname Rymor was first found in Suffolk and Berwick, Scotland. Early rolls list Warin Rymer in Yorkshire in 1229; and Richard le Rimour in Lancashire in 1277. 4

"The Rymers of Chepstow and its vicinity are probably connected with a family of clothiers, called Rimer, who lived in Minchin Hampton early last century." 5

Early History of the Rymor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rymor research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1641, 1643, 1663 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Rymor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rymor 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 Rymor include Rymour, Rymer, Rymor, Rhymer and others.

Early Notables of the Rymor family

Distinguished members of the family include Ralph Rymer, Lord of the Manor of Brafferton in Yorkshire, executed for his part in the Farnley Wood Plot of 1663; and his son, Thomas Rymer (1641-1713), English, writer, critic, historiographer...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rymor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rymor 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 Rymor were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: George Rymer settled in New England in 1772; Martha Rymer settled with her husband in Rapahanock in Virginia in 1729.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.