Firmager

This unusual and interesting name is an occupational surname dating from the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name was used to describe someone who made and/or sold cheese, and is derived from the Old French terms 'formagier' or 'fromagier'. The name development has included 'William le Furmager' (1219, Yorkshire), 'Robert Formagier (1273, Lincolnshire), and 'John Furmonger' (1490, Cambridgeshire). One 'Andrew Firminger' is recorded as a witness in the 'Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery' during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 -1603). The marriage between 'Mathew Takes' and 'Sarah Firminger' is recorded at St. George's, Hanover Square, London, in 1802. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Furmagier, which was dated 1198, in the Pipe Rolls of Kent, during the reign of King Richard 1, known as the Lionheart, 1189 - 1199. 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.