Mummery

Mummery
This most interesting and unusual surname is of Norman French locational origins, and yet holds some of the earliest claims to nobility in England. It was first introduced by close companions of William the Conqueror at the invasion of 1066, and they were rewarded for their efforts with large estates, particularly in the North of England. The original spelling should have been 'Montbrai' from the village in La Manche, Normandy, but no such form has been found. The name translates as literally as 'the muddy place on the hill', a humble beginning for an aristocratic surname. Now variously recorded world-wide as Mowbray, Mowbury, Moubray, Mumbray, Membry, Momery, Mummery, Me(m)mory, Mulb(e)ry, and Mulberry, the move away from the original 'Montbrai' is truly remarkable. Early examples of the recordings include Roger de Mulbrai in the 1130 Rolls of Whitby, Yorkshire, where the family held great estates, Paganus de Moubrai (1150, Oxfordshire), and Roger de Munbrai of Lincolnshire in 1185, both being 'Crusaders' and as such members of the Knights Templar. Joseph Memory is recorded in London in 1584, whilst the Friary Rolls of Leicestershire include the recordings of John Mowbray in 1714, John Mumory in 1725, and John Membry in 1748. Amongst the many famous name holders was Thomas de Mowbray (1366 - 1399), Earl Marshall of England, and the first Duke of Norfolk. The original coat of arms, granted in 1297, one of the most ancient ever recorded and predating the College of Arms by two centuries, has the highly distinctive and unmistakeable blazon of a red field, charged with a silver lion rampant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rodbeard a Mundbraeg, which was dated 1087, in the 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicles', during the reign of King William 1, known as 'The Conqueror', 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Mummery — may refer to: Performance of a Mummers Play. Albert F. Mummery (1855–1895), British mountaineer Browning Mummery (Opera tenor) (1888–1974), Australian operatic tenor Browning Mummery (Electronic sound works), stage name of Andrew Lonsdale (born… …   Wikipedia

  • Mummery — Mum mer*y, n.; pl. {Mummeries}. [F. momerie, of Dutch or German origin. See {Mumm}.] 1. Masking; frolic in disguise; buffoonery. [1913 Webster] The mummery of foreign strollers. Fenton. [1913 Webster] 2. Farcical show; hypocritical disguise and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mummery — index parody Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • mummery — (n.) 1520s, performance of mumming, from O.Fr. mommerie, from momer (see MUMMER (Cf. mummer)). Transferred sense of ridiculous ceremony or ritual is from 1540s …   Etymology dictionary

  • mummery — *gibberish, hocus pocus, abracadabra …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • mummery — [mum′ər ē] n. pl. mummeries [MFr mommerie < OFr momer: see MUM2] Now Rare 1. performance by mummers 2. any display or ceremony regarded as pretentious or hypocritical …   English World dictionary

  • Mummery — Albert Frederick Mummery (* 1855 in Dover, England; † vermutlich 24. August 1895 am Nanga Parbat) war ein englischer Alpinist und Autor. Mummery gelangen Allein und Erstbegehungen in Schwierigkeitsgraden, die zu seiner Zeit als unüberwindbar… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mummery — noun a) merrymaking; the performance of a mummer I say the sewer thought I was dressed to bear a part in the tregetour’s mummery, and so I got admission b) a ridiculous or ostentatious ceremony, especially of a religious nature Why, you unweaned… …   Wiktionary

  • Mummery Cliff — (80°27′S 21°23′W / 80.45°S 21.383°W / 80.45; 21.383) is a cliff rising to about 1,250 m to the southeast of Whymper Spur in the Pioneers Escarpment, Shackleton Range. In association with the names of p …   Wikipedia

  • Mummery, Albert Frederick — ▪ British mountaineer born Sept. 10, 1855, Dover, Kent, Eng. died Aug. 24, 1895, western Kashmir, India       English mountaineer who was the first to climb several Alpine peaks, including Dent du Requin, Col des Cortes, and Zmutt Ridge of the… …   Universalium

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