First stop for any Pomeroy researcher is POMEROLOGY |
| The Pomeroy family that descended from Ralph or Radulphus de la Pomerai came from Normandy with William Duke of Normandy. For his part in the Norman Conquest of England Ralph de la Pomerai was awarded extensive lands and manors in Devon.. The family became established in Devon at Beri Pomeroy near the thriving town of Totnes. As the family expanded it spread outward, and over the intervening centuries there were family groups across Devon and the south of the west country, into Cornwall and later into Dorset. The main line of the family became extinct in the 17th Century. At some point they became established in Ireland and from that family came the cadet line that is now the sole represntaive of the ancient family. The family of Viscount Harberton, is the only one that can certainly connect to the ancient bloodline,and this is supported by the evidence of DNA. It is the only family which takes the ancient Pomeroy name into the 21st century with any certainty. A number of the American Poms families which descend from Eltweed Pomeroy and his family, believe they descend from the armorial family. However the link has been shown to be a fraud , in addition DNA does not show this lineage as descendng directly from the noble family. There are hundreds English Pomeroys who have no established link with that ancient family and some seek to find such a connection. SO where did the rest of the modern Poms come from? That is the mystery! ..............and its addictive ====================================================================================== A bit of History. CLASS in Medieval and early modern England MOBILITY of population in days gone by. When William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy sailed from Normandy he brought some 500 knights with him. The battle at Hastings that resulted from this invasion was, after some turbulant times, to create the beginnings of a nation of unity and power, England and ultimately Great Britain. Ralph de la Pomerai is recorded in 1066 in the Battle Rolls at Falaise as being one of the knights with William the Conqueror In 1068 he is recorded as taking part in the siege of Exeter. Awarded 58 manors in Devon including Berry Pomeroy, plus two in Somerset by the time of Ralph's his death in around 1102 his estate was the fifth largest baronial landholding in Devon. He is recorded in 1066 in the Battle Rolls at Falaise as being one of the knights with William the Conqueror In 1068 he is recorded as taking part in the siege of Exeter. Awarded 58 manors in Devon including Berry Pomeroy, plus two in Somerset by the time of Ralph's his death in around 1102 his estate was the fifth largest baronial landholding in Devon. Henry De La POMERAI Married before 1146 to Rohese of Normandy Died: AFT 1176 who was alleged to be the natural daughter of HENRY I "Beauclerc" of Normandy (King of England) and Sybilla CORBET Children: 1. Henry De La POMERAI 2. Joscelin De La POMERAI Pomeroy family tree on Sandberg. This should not be regarded as entirely accurate as the sources Sandberg uses are not always primary ones.The Victorian sources are always particulary suspect and Vivian has been known to make errors UK genealogy an excellent site run by Nigel Batty Smith. Berry Pomeroy. A brief history De La Pomerai The family name of Pomeroy was derived from the apple growing orchards of La Pommeraie, in Calvados, arrondissement of Falaise, canton of Thury-Harcourt, Normandy, France. [If you look at a map of western France Calvados is close to the Normandy coast , Falaise where William the Conqueror was born, is on a parallel with Paris.] Roger de la Pomerai Born circa 1010 in Of Saint Sauveur de la Pommeraye, La Manche, Normandy, France. The Chievre family Legend Roger La Maniche Chievre Abbey of St. Mary du Val, Bayeaux was born in 960. He married Petronilla. They had the following children: William "Guillame" Le Chievre "La Capra" was born in 1023/1028. He died in Sep 1087. Raul "Ralph""Ralf" de La Pommeraie was born in 1086. (see notes on Chievre website) Hugh de La Pommeraie died in 1066. Beatrix Chievre Abbess of St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall Aegidio de Chivre d'Anjou. The Domesday Book had Chievre ( Cheever) holding numerous lands in Devon, the most interesting of these being the manor of Ingsdon which was later the seat of the Pomeroy family. However as yet I have found no later connections by marriage between these families , at a time when intermarriage between cousins were fairly common for dynastic reasons. This does not mean marriages did not occur, just that I have not found them. ( I do not know and have not looked for the sources used by the Chievre family researchers.) |
| Pomeroys of Collaton Is this family the link with the Millstreet Pomeroys in Ireland? |
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| The Apple Tree researching the genealogy of the Pomeroy family which descends from the apple orchards of Normandy down through almost 950 years of English history |
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| Be Warned Genealogy can be addictive |
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| Surnames Although conformity of spelling did not occur until many centuries later it was after the time of the Norman Conquest 1066, that surnames began to be adopted. It was the men of rank, land owners and men of high office who had surnames which reflecting their status. Initially the surnames were mainly locational as the Norman overlords laid claim to their new English lands. Other surnames emerged, genealogical names, occupational names and a few based on a nickname or a personal characteristic. One man in , a small town might be known by several names depending on who was referring to him and this causes considerable confusion in genealogical terms. By the 1350's most of the Norman french and latin versions of surnames had be anglicised as scribes, generally, conformed to the prevailing trends. By 1500's surnames were more consistantly in used in all stratus of society and the norman french and latin usage was dropped almost entirely. About 40% of surnames were based on location, 20% were genealogical, 20% were occupational as the merchant classes appeared in the 15th century and less than 10% were based on a nickname or personal characteristic |
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BREAK THROUGHS do HAPPEN! One long standing Brick in my Wall was breeched in 2003 and led us to solve the mystery of where my 3 X great grandfather, Richard Pomery was born. Go to Our London Pomeroy Family to find out more |
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