Edgecombe

Recorded in the spellings of Edgecombe, Edgecomb, Edgcombe, and Edgecumbe, this is an English surname from the West Country region. It originates from either Mount Edgecombe, in Cornwall, the seat and village of the earl of Edgecombe, over looking the famous harbour known as Plymouth Sound, or from the tiny village of Edgecumbe, near Tavistock, in the county of Devonshire, or possibly from a locality but probably formerly a village, also called Edegcumbe, near the town of Helston, in Cornwall. The place names and hence the surname, all have the same meaning of 'a village on the edge of a valley', from the Olde English pre 7th century 'ecg-cum'. Locational surnames are usually 'from' names. That is to say they are names that were given to people after they left their original homes, and moved elsewhere. This may have been the next village or even the capital of London, which then as now, seemed to offer opportunities to people that they could not find in theior own locality. Eitherway the easiest means of identifying a stranger, was to call him or sometimes her, by the name of the place from where they originated. Spelling in ancient times being at best erratic, and local dialects very thick, lead to the development of 'sounds like' spellings. In this case we have a very early recording dating back to the begining of surnames. This was that of William de Egghacomb, who was probably the lord of the manor, in the famous records known as the Hundred Rolls, for Devonshire in 1273. The surname is well recorded both in the USA and in Australia, suggesting that they may have originated from the now 'lost village near Helston.