Cumberbatch One-Name Study

Cumberbatch
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Cumberbatch One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Historical occurrences
Frequency of the name
Distribution of the name
Data
Links
Contact Details

About the Cumberbatch One-Name Study

The Cumberbatch surname study aims to collect all occurrences of the surname and its variants world-wide. It began during my attempts to locate my ancestral connections in Barbados.

See: http://www.cumberbatch.org/introduction.htm

Variants

There are a remarkable number of variant spellings but the most frequently occurring spelling variants are: COMBERBACH, CUMBERBATCH, CUMBERLEDGE, CUMBERLEGE, CUMBERLIDGE and CUMBERPATCH. See: Cumberbatch Variant Spellings

George William Marshall wrote in his 'Collections for a Genealogical Account of the Family of COMBERBACH': 'Like most of our old English surnames, it has undergone various changes of spelling, thus it is written, Comberbach, the most ancient form, Cumberbach, Cumberbatch, and Comberbatch, and I do not doubt but that Comberbirch, Cumperpatch, Comberback, Comberbage, Cumberbeg, and even Cumberlege, together with many more, are only varieties which have crept in at different times, and through individual differences in pronunciation� Here I should remark that one of my reasons for considering the names Comberbach and Cumberlege identical is the similarity of the arms�'

The following surnames I do not consider to be variants:

CUMBERLAND - From the old county of the same name. Mills claims it to derive from Cumbra land from the Old English Cumbre + land (Mills 1998 p.106);

CUMBERWORTH or COMBERWORTH - From the derivation meaning 'enclosure of a man called Cumbra, or of the Britons'. Possibly derived from an Old English personal name or Old English Cumbre + worth. Cumberworth is mentioned in the Doomsday Book for Lincolnshire and a Lower & Upper Cumberworth is mentioned in Doomsday for West Yorkshire (Mills 1998 p.106);

COMBERFORD, CUMERFORD, CUMMERFORD - From the place-name of the same spelling in Staffordshire. From the Old English Cumbre + ford (Mills 1998 p.94);

COMBERTON, CUMBERTON - From the place-name of the same spelling in Cambridgeshire. From the Old English Cumbre + tun meaning 'Farmstead of a man called Cumbra' (Mills 1998 p.94). Additionally there are places called Great & Little Comberton in Hereford & Worcester mentioned in the Doomsday Book (Mills 1998 p.94);

COMBELLACK, COMBELLES - From the Devon place-name of Coombelake (Association of British Place Names). Alas not covered by Mills but he might have claimed it to be derived from Coombe + lake meaning valley with a lake.

Origin of the surname

Cumberbatch is a variant spelling of a place called Comberbach; which is a village in Cheshire, England. A Co(o)mbe is old English for a valley, so a Comber is a dweller in a valley; bach(e) is Old English for a stream. So Comberbach means dweller in a valley with a stream and this is an accurate description of the place. Comberbach was not mentioned in the Doomsday Book but is mentioned in early Cheshire Charters dating from the late 12th century. See: Cumberbatch Origins

The Cumberbatch surname has an additional point of origin - Barbados. After August 1834 Barbados slaves, previously the property of white Cumberbatch families, were freed and many took the surname. By December 1833 all of the white male Cumberbatchs had either died or relocated back to England. So I believe that any black Cumberbatch whether in Trinidad, Guyana, US or anywhere has ancestral roots in Barbados.

Historical occurrences

The descendants of the early Cumberbatchs who arrived on Barbados became members of the Assembly and of the Legislative Council, now known as the Senate. These are roughly equivalent to the UK's House of Commons and House of Lords. There was an Honourable Abraham Cumberbatch which indicates that he was a member of the Council. The 'Esquires' were members of the Assembly, or were Judges, and were entitled to use a carriage drawn by four horses, whilst members of the Council were entitled to be drawn by six horses. Three other Cumberbatchs were Esqrs on the Assembly.

Alice Beatrice Maud Cumberbatch donated The Cumberbatch Trophy to the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN). This trophy is given to organisations and individuals providing a significant improvement in air safety. Her cousin Hugh Charles Cumberbatch bequeathed �300,000 to Trinity College, Oxford who actually received little over �65,000 after death duties were paid.

James 'Jimmy' Cumberbatch - Viv Anderson broke through as the first black player to represent England at football in the 1970s, but rugby league had already beaten this achievement by some fifty years when Jimmy Cumberbatch ran out for England. (The Glory of Their Times, Crossing the Colour Line in Rugby League; Edited by Phil Melling, Tony Collins).

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge assumed the name Silas Tomkyn Comberbach (note the initials) in order to enlist in the 15th, or King's, Light Dragoons, 1793, but was bought out by his brothers a year later; reputedly following his discovery as an educated Gentleman, resulting from his correction of a point of Latin being discussed by two Officers as they entered the mess outside which he was on sentry duty.

See: Notable Cumberbatchs

Frequency of the name

In 1880 the Cumberbatchs in the USA are too small to be of interest; in 1881 the Cumberbatchs in UK amount to 0.0022% of the population and 0.5% of the population in Barbados were Cumberbatchs. By 2001 the UK frequency has increased to 0.0026% of the population. See: Cumberbatch Frequency

Distribution of the name

In 1880 there were 122 Cumberbatchs in the USA; in 1881 there were 663 Cumberbatchs in UK and c.862 in Barbados. See: Cumberbatch Distribution

Data

BARBADOS : Baptisms, marriages and burials on Barbados from the earliest surviving registers through 1930. Extracts from published Barbados sources: Wills, Journal of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, Caribbeana.

UK : Births, Marriages and Deaths to 1913; Probate calendars 1858 - 1963; Probate records prior to 1858; PCC wills and administrations; various parish registers, university records, school records, BOYD's marriage index, Pallot's indexes, Bertram Merrell's Cheshire Marriage Index, 1901 & 1881 Census data (access to others back to 1871).

Links

Cumberbatch Surname Website: Cumberbatch Website

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mr Bob S Cumberbatch
E-mail:

This page last updated 25 February 2008.