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The surname MUMFORD in England is a corruption of at least three different surnames with four different origins. These surnames are MONTFOORT, de MONTFORT, and MUNDEFORD. The MONTFOORTs originated in the town of Montfoort in Holland, now a suburb of Utrecht. The MUNDEFORDs were an ancient family whose settlement in Norfolk
predated William’s invasion in 1066. The de MONTFORTs originated in two locations and are of entirely different stock. The de MONTFORTs of Montfort Sur de Risle in Normandy were Norman and the hereditary constables of Normandy. Their ancestry can be traced back to the Viking, Oslac. Hugh de Montfort II was with William at Hastings. The de MONTFORTs of Montfort L'Amuary were descended from an illegitimate son of King Robert of France. Descendants of all four of these families can be found in England which greatly complicates tracing MUMFORD ancestors.
The name Mundeford surfaces in Norfolk in the 12th century and one line of the family can be traced with some reliability to the mid 1600's. By this time the name of many of the descendants has corrupted to MUMFORD. Probably most famous is Thomas Mondeford (Mymford), Doctor of Physik to Queen Elizabeth I. The Norman de MONTFORTS, as mentioned above, arrived in England with William the Conqueror. Hugh de MONTFORTs two sons both had disagreements with the King and were forced to take up the Cross. This left Hugh's granddaughter as his heir. She married Gilbert de GAND and produced a son Hugh, who, impressed with his mother's great inheritance, took the name Hugh de MONTFORT. The de GAND family is descended from the Saxon, Witikind. As a result we can expect Hugh de MONTFORT’s descendants test results to indicate Saxon descendancy, not Viking. Hugh de MONTFORT’s line settled in Warwick as the Barons of Beldesert. The de Gand surname today has been recorded as Degand, Gaunt, and Constable.
Simon de MONTFORT of L'Amuary was the Earl of Leicester and brother in law of Henry III. After the battle of Evesham, in which he was aided by the MONTFORTs of Warwick, his family fled England. His youngest son, Amuary (Almaric) was apprehended several years later by Edward I trying to deliver his sister to Llewelyn ap Griffith, the Prince of North Wales, who had married her by proxy. After his release he took up residence in England, reputedly under the name of Wellsbourne.
The MUMFORDs arrived in North America early. A Thomas MUMFORD was with John Smith and helped write a chapter in the "History of Virginia". Another Thomas MUMFORD settled in Rhode Island in 1655. Much research has been and is being carried out on this line, the early research by James Gregory Mumford who published his "MUMFORD MEMOIRS" in 1900, and by Sherrie Styx who has published " THE MUMFORD FAMILIES IN AMERICA 1600-1992". In addition to the Rhode Island Mumfords other Mumford families settled in Massachusetts and Virginia in the 1600s. The MONTFOORTs were also early settlers in New York. There the name was quickly corrupted to MONTFORT. In Canada a branch of the Rhode Island clan arrived in Nova Scotia as Planters in the mid 1700's and a few other individuals settled in what is now Ontario around 1800. Other families arrived throughout the mid 1800s, several of them, including mine, from Essex in England.
To add to the confusion there seems to be little continuity in the spelling of each family's surname. My own family has spelled our surname MUNDEFORD, MONTFORT, MONTFORD, MOUNFORD, MUNFORD, MOUNTFORD and MUMFORD all within the last 200 years. The Patent Rolls show a Wm. de Mountford of the Bishopric of Utrecht and dwelling in Norwich granted permission to remain in England. How many other Dutch settlers settled in England is not known but many did come to Norfolk to help in reclaiming the fens.
While the Munford variation of the surname is frequently found in Norfolk and would appear to be derived from the Saxon surname Mundeford. It is also found in Somerset and Dorset. The Patent Rolls mention holders of the Mundeford surname in the area during the fourteenth century. It has been reported however that one of the Munford families of Dorset might be linked to the Mumford family of Brescote who were descended from the de Montforts of Warwick.
predated William’s invasion in 1066. The de MONTFORTs originated in two locations and are of entirely different stock. The de MONTFORTs of Montfort Sur de Risle in Normandy were Norman and the hereditary constables of Normandy. Their ancestry can be traced back to the Viking, Oslac. Hugh de Montfort II was with William at Hastings. The de MONTFORTs of Montfort L'Amuary were descended from an illegitimate son of King Robert of France. Descendants of all four of these families can be found in England which greatly complicates tracing MUMFORD ancestors.
The name Mundeford surfaces in Norfolk in the 12th century and one line of the family can be traced with some reliability to the mid 1600's. By this time the name of many of the descendants has corrupted to MUMFORD. Probably most famous is Thomas Mondeford (Mymford), Doctor of Physik to Queen Elizabeth I. The Norman de MONTFORTS, as mentioned above, arrived in England with William the Conqueror. Hugh de MONTFORTs two sons both had disagreements with the King and were forced to take up the Cross. This left Hugh's granddaughter as his heir. She married Gilbert de GAND and produced a son Hugh, who, impressed with his mother's great inheritance, took the name Hugh de MONTFORT. The de GAND family is descended from the Saxon, Witikind. As a result we can expect Hugh de MONTFORT’s descendants test results to indicate Saxon descendancy, not Viking. Hugh de MONTFORT’s line settled in Warwick as the Barons of Beldesert. The de Gand surname today has been recorded as Degand, Gaunt, and Constable.
Simon de MONTFORT of L'Amuary was the Earl of Leicester and brother in law of Henry III. After the battle of Evesham, in which he was aided by the MONTFORTs of Warwick, his family fled England. His youngest son, Amuary (Almaric) was apprehended several years later by Edward I trying to deliver his sister to Llewelyn ap Griffith, the Prince of North Wales, who had married her by proxy. After his release he took up residence in England, reputedly under the name of Wellsbourne.
The MUMFORDs arrived in North America early. A Thomas MUMFORD was with John Smith and helped write a chapter in the "History of Virginia". Another Thomas MUMFORD settled in Rhode Island in 1655. Much research has been and is being carried out on this line, the early research by James Gregory Mumford who published his "MUMFORD MEMOIRS" in 1900, and by Sherrie Styx who has published " THE MUMFORD FAMILIES IN AMERICA 1600-1992". In addition to the Rhode Island Mumfords other Mumford families settled in Massachusetts and Virginia in the 1600s. The MONTFOORTs were also early settlers in New York. There the name was quickly corrupted to MONTFORT. In Canada a branch of the Rhode Island clan arrived in Nova Scotia as Planters in the mid 1700's and a few other individuals settled in what is now Ontario around 1800. Other families arrived throughout the mid 1800s, several of them, including mine, from Essex in England.
To add to the confusion there seems to be little continuity in the spelling of each family's surname. My own family has spelled our surname MUNDEFORD, MONTFORT, MONTFORD, MOUNFORD, MUNFORD, MOUNTFORD and MUMFORD all within the last 200 years. The Patent Rolls show a Wm. de Mountford of the Bishopric of Utrecht and dwelling in Norwich granted permission to remain in England. How many other Dutch settlers settled in England is not known but many did come to Norfolk to help in reclaiming the fens.
While the Munford variation of the surname is frequently found in Norfolk and would appear to be derived from the Saxon surname Mundeford. It is also found in Somerset and Dorset. The Patent Rolls mention holders of the Mundeford surname in the area during the fourteenth century. It has been reported however that one of the Munford families of Dorset might be linked to the Mumford family of Brescote who were descended from the de Montforts of Warwick.