Pomeroy or De La Pommeraie is a surname documented from the 11th century. Currently spelled as Pomeroy and the many variations which have occurred over time and geopolitical location. These variations include Pomroy, Pomery, Pumroy, Pummery, Pummeroy, de Pomerai, de Pomeroy, and Pommery.
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Etymology
Despite the clearly found words of pomme and roy in the name, meaning "apple" in French and "king" in Old French (French roi), the surname given to Radulphus is not linked with the Old French word roy, but is the common place-name Pommeraye, that means "orchard of apple-trees", Modern French word pommeraie, from pommier "apple-tree" and old suffix -aye, now -aie, meaning "a collection of trees". Originally the suffix -aye was masculine : -ey, -ay and sometimes -oy. The secondary phonetic shift -ey > -oy is normally typical of Picard and the Eastern dialects of Langue d'oïl, but can sometimes be observed in Normandy.
Radulphus is a latinization of Radulf, that is a common first name in the ducal Normandy. It is rendered with different spellings and variant forms. Radulf is a Franconian variant form of Rodulf, with a short form Ralf. It is sometimes Latinized in the Latin written documents as Radulfus or Radulphus. The variant spelling Rodulf is also used and its short form Rolf. In fact, the Franconian surname translates more probably the Scandinavian first name Hrólfr, which was given to many sons in noble families, due to the fame of Rollo, first Viking count of Rouen. There are other variant forms of the name which are more French Rou[f] and Raoul, and the Anglo-Norman rendering of Ralph.
Origins of the family
There are several La Pommeraye in Normandy, but the sources mention generally two possible birth places of the family, both in Lower Normandy.
One in the Cotentin Peninsula on the commune of Saint-Sauveur-la-Pommeraye, now in the Manche département, 12 km from Granville. In that case, Radulf's father would be a certain Roger de la Pomeroi, born in 990-1000.
Another document mentions a Ralph de Pomeroy, born abt 1060 in an unknown location. He may be the same person but would put him a generation or two beyond where he might have participated at 'Hastings' with 'the Conqueror'.
The other possible location is La Pommeraye, commune of the Calvados département between Thury-Harcourt and Pont-d'Ouilly (35 km south from Caen). The château Ganne at La Pommeraye is believed to be the original seat of the family and the de la Pomeroi founded the Val Abbey at Saint-Omer, Calvados.
History
William (sometimes rendered as the French; Guillaume), Hugo (Hughes, Hugh, Hue) and Radulph[us] or Ralph, sons of Roger, were three brothers who accompanied William The Conqueror in the conquest of England, and eventually all of Britain.
Radulphus might, in today's terms might be considered "Chief of Staff", of the family. He appears to act as the elder of the siblings, and holds the majority of grants from William I. Hugo is believed to have died during the battle. Although brothers, surnames were not common at the time, and the family were not identified as siblings by their surnames. William, known as Capra ("the "goat") also held many properties in Devon, listed under that name. He may also have adopted what is possibly his mother's surname, 'Chièvres', (a village in Hanault, near the current French-Belgium border). 'Radulphus took the surname de la Pommerai (of the apple orchard).
After the Battle of Hastings, Radulphus was bestowed a considerable number of land holdings in England. According to the Domesday Book of 1086, as Radulphus (Ralph) De La Pommeraie, he held numerouse properties, as either Lord or Tenant-in-chief or both; 98 in Devon, 2 in Somerset, and 1 in Cornwall. His brother, William "the Goat" held 49 properties in Devon and 1 in Cornwall, again as either Lord, Tenant-in-Chief, or both, and Beatrix (sister of Ralph of Pomeroy and William the goat), held 6 properties of her brothers, as Lord, 3 from each brother and all in Devon.
There is, evidently, a story (unsourced), that Beatrix became abbess of the Benedictine abbey at St Michaels Mount which she held for William. She is named as his Ralf's sister in the Exchequer Book, and the Doomsday Book as brother to Ralph and William "the Goat", but neither brother held land at St Michael's Mount. Additionally, although there appears to be conflicting stories as to whether Edward, the King or William the Conqueror, donated the island of St Michaels Mount to the Benedictine order at Mont Saint-Michel, but it appears that they agree that there has been religious occupation of the island for over 1200 years, the first Benedictine habitation was as a Priory to complement the Abbey at Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the 11th century. A Priory would have no need of an Abbess, and no Prioress is listed there in available records.
Berry Pomeroy in Devon is the home of Berry Pomeroy Castle erected by Radulphus. The family retained possession until the second year of the reign of King Edward VI, Henry VIII's son, and the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549 when the castle was sold to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who was brother to Jane Seymour (Henry VIII's third wife) and Edward VI's uncle. Historians differ widely as to the manner in the way the Seymours succeeded them in ownership.
Current status
Currently it is one of the most advanced genealogical studies of a surname with such frequency. There are approximately 15000 bearers of the name and its derivatives worldwide of which 2500 reside in the UK and several times that in the USA.