Dunsmuir

An Olde Scottish location name from the lands of Dunsmure in Fife. The original meaning of the name was 'the dweller at the cultivated lands by the moor' (Anglo Saxon pre 7th century). In the 17th century many of the Dunsmores emigrated to Londonderry (Ireland) and New Hampshire (USA). As with many locational names the spelling became transposed through dialectual processes, thus, in the modern idiom, the name has six spelling variations: Dunmore, Dunmuir, Dunsmore, Dunsmuir, Dunsmure and Dinsmore (the latter being an American variant). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry de Dundemore which was dated Circa 1219 The Abbey of Arbroath during the reign of King Alexander 11 of Scotland 1214-1249 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.