Dummer One-Name Study

(Click on picture to enlarge) The arms of the Dummers of Hampshire awarded in 1720.

Dummer
One-Name Study

Topics

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

About the Dummer One-Name Study

The author has conducted a one-name study of the families of Dummer for more than 40 years. In 1985 he saw the need to formally set down all the information he had collected on Dummers to make it available to others. Thus was born the first edition of the book 'The Family of Dummer of British Origin'. As research revealed more information, further editions were issued over the years. The current (7th) edition of the study consists of an A4-size book of 360 pages: see 'Data' below for details of the content. Printed copies of the book can be seen at a number of libraries and archives, including the British Library, the Library of Congress at Washington, the Library of the Genealogical Society of Utah in Salt Lake City, the Library of the Society of Genealogists in London, Hampshire Record Office in Winchester, West Sussex Record Office in Chichester, Winchester Local Studies Library, the libraries of the Hampshire Genealogical Society, The Sussex Family History Society, and the Guild of One-Name Studies.

The study is also available as an inexpensive CD from which the book can be printed out. Copies of the CD are available from the churchwardens of Dummer church, Hampshire, in aid of church maintenance - see 'Links' below. The publication does not include details of Dummer families whose ancestors originated on mainland Europe. The author is willing to help with researchers' problems, if possible.

Research never ceases, and information on Dummers continues to be collected, including those whose ancestors did not originate in the U.K.

Variants

The registered variants of the name are Dumer, Dumere, and Dummere. In early years the name was also spelt as Domer or Dommer. There has been a tendency for others to misspell the name as Drummer, particularly in recent years when spelling is seen by some as unimportant and not worth checking, in spite of the fact that there are far fewer Drummers in this world.

Origin of the surname

In the United Kingdom it is generally accepted that the name originated from the village of Dummer in Hampshire, where Dummers were Lords of the Manor. The village name was derived from Dun (hill) and Mer (water, lake). There must always be a possibility that in some cases the name developed from other origins.

Historical occurrences

As in every family, most members were humble agricultural labourers who left no memorial, in paper or stone, and it is only the rich who stand out in history. The Dummer family in the region north of Southampton centred on Bishopstoke became wealthy landowners. One of them, Richard (b c1598) became one of the founding fathers of New England. His son Jeremiah was one of the first silversmiths of America. His grandson William was Governor General of Massachusetts, and is credited with bringing an end to the Indian Wars. Dummer's Fort, Dummer's War, and several settlements in North America take their name from him. Edmund Dummer (b1651) became Surveyor of the Navy, created Devonport Dockyard, and set up the first packet service to the West Indies. Thomas Dummer (b1740) bought Winchester City Cross to adorn the parkland of his mansion, but the citizens stoned his workers and he had to be satisfied with a plaster replica which the rain washed away. In modern times talents also count; Geoffrey Dummer (b1909), grandson of a prison warder, became a radar pioneer and expert on electronic components. He is hailed world-wide as 'The Prophet of the Integrated Circuit', although, as usual, the British Government would not back him, and researchers in other countries took over and benefited .

Frequency of the name

There were 626 Dummers registered with the United Kingdom National Health Service in 2005, which must be a true indication of the size of the family in the U.K..

Distribution of the name

The earliest Dummers appear in Hampshire in the 11th century. By the 16th century there were also Dummers in Lacock, Wiltshire. Sussex Dummers flourished from the 17th century. From the Hampshire Dummers came the Dummers of New England. Others followed to North America in the 19th century, when there was also emigration to Australia from both Hampshire and Sussex. The Welsh Dummers were an offshoot of the Lacock Dummers. Today the greatest concentration in the U.K. is still in those counties. Descendants are in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.A., but exactly how many of the current U.S.A. Dummer families originated in the UK is difficult to judge because of the much greater number of German and Austrian Dummers that arrived there in the 19th century.

Data

Virtually all the information in the study of Dummers whose ancestors originated in Great Britain is contained in the book 'The Family of Dummer -7th Edition' (available to view in print or as a CD - see 'Description' above). The study consists of 360 pages: 111 pages of descriptive text; 150 photographs; 55 family tree charts; a 111 page data file on several thousand Dummers based on information from parish registers, bishop's transcripts, marriage licences, newspapers, directories, and censuses; transcripts of important wills; facsimile copies of scarce important 19th century studies; other relevant documents; information from numerous parish registers, bishop's transcripts, marriage licences, wills, histories, newspapers, indexes, publications, directories, censuses, and the International Genealogical Index, plus family information passed to the author by correspondents. In addition there is a complete index to all births, marriages, and deaths of Dummers recorded at the General Register Office from 1837 to the 1950s or later, a list of all sources used in the study, and an index of persons.

Links

The author's webpage giving a brief outline of the Family of Dummer is at http://uk.geocities.com/michael.dummer@btopenworld.com.

Copies of The Family of Dummer of British Origin, 7th Edition, CD Rom can be obtained from the churchwardens of All Saints Church, Dummer, Hampshire in aid of church maintenance. On webpage www.hants.org.uk/allsaintschurchdummer, click on 'Local Links', then on 'The Family of Dummer CDrom' to contact them.

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mr Michael Dummer
16 Teddington Close,
Bath,
Somerset
BA2 1HT
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

This page last updated 25 February 2008.