Broomfield

This ancient name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and may be either a locational or a topographical surname. As the former, Broomfield and its variant form Bromfield derive from any one of the places so called; Broomfield in Essex, Kent, and Somerset, or Bromfield, in Cumberland and Shropshire. The place in Cumberland is recorded as "Burmfeld" in the Register of the Priory of Wetherhal of 1145, and the others all appear in the Domesday Book of 1086 as, respectively, "Brumfelda", "Brumfeld", "Brunfelle", and "Brumfeld". All of these places share the same meaning and derivation, which is "open country where broom grew", from the Olde English pre 7th Century "brom", broom, gorse, with "feld", open country, land free from wood, plain. As a topographical surname, Bro(o)mfield denoted residence by or on such a stretch of land. Among the recordings of the name in London Church Registers is the marriage of John Broomfield and Elizabeth Norncot, at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, on November 23rd 1629. A Coat of Arms granted to the family depicts, on a black shield, on a silver chevron three green broom sprigs, on a gold canton a spear's head blue embrued red. The Crest is a blue demi tiger armed and tufted gold, holding erect a broken sword, silver, wilted gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hamo de Bromfeld, which was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls of Kent", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.