Delamere

This interesting name is of French origin and is locational from one of the places in Normandy called La Mare, from the Olde Norman - French 'la', the, plus 'mare', a pool or pond. Many later names are of English origin and mean dweller by the mere, marsh or moor, from the Olde English pre 7th century 'mere', or 'mor', with common confusion of these words. This name was probably introduced into England at the Norman Invasion of 1066. George Booth (1622 - 1684) was the first Baron Delamere. Two recording of christenings in London are of one Lewis Delamere son of John and Anne on the 29th September 1754 at Christchurch, Spitalfields, Stepney and one Martha Delamere on 20th November 1814 at St. Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry de Lamara, which was dated 1130 Pipe Rolls Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Henry I, The Lion of Justice, 1100 - 1135. 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.