After beginning research for my step-children's
grandmother I was fortunate enough to have one of those lucky breaks in finding a distant relative
who already had a mass of information and documentation about the family.
Michael Dummer was descended from the same Charles Dummer from Sussex and had inherited papers
and information compiled by this Charles (1835-1917) and his father before him. He was inspired to undertake much research
himself from the 1960s onward about all persons bearing the name of DUMMER.
The information on this website comprises extracts of the text from the 5th Edition and is published on behalf of Michael
and with his permission.
Seeking information on the Dummer families? or have information to share?
Please contact Michael direct:
Julie was born about 1827 in Bebemont, near Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sometime around 1854 she left for England, and there met and married Charles in Terwick, Sussex in 1857.
In 1889 they journeyed back to Bebemont to find her family, only to find her father had died a few years before.
It is not known why or when she originally left Switzerland.
From 1986 Michael set out to record
all the information about the origins and history of his own particular famlly
line and on other Dummers, and to make this freely available to other researchers.
The initial issue of 1986 was followed by subsequent Issues 2 and 3 in 1987 and
1989 containing the results of further research. Copies were provided to The Society
of Genealogists in London, The Library of Congress in Washington, The Church of
Latter Day Saints in Utah, reference libraries in Hampshire and West Sussex (where
the early English Dummers were mainly based) and certain individuals in England,
Australia and USA. Researchers were invited to freely copy the document.
Apart from a brief introduction
no attempt was made to flesh out the bones with a descriptive text, particularly
where this was already available in existing publications, such as Colonel Chester's
Family. of Dummer (1881) and Thomas Bond's "Pendomer and the Dummer Family (1871).
However all events and relationships are included in the printed edition. The
information in the publication in general relates onlv to the British branches
of the family and to those branches which were derived from them (e.g. the Australian
and certain USA). It is not intended to cover German branches.
The Dummer families
would appear to have originated independently in England and Germany. The following
text deals mainly with the Dummers of English origin, which have been well researched.
For information on Dummers in the USA ( who could be of either German or English
origin) the reader is referred to David Andrew Dummer of Washington who co-ordinates
information on Dummers in America. In England the earliest Dummers traced originated
in Hampshire. Other large groups in Sussex and Wiltshire may be descended from
these Hampshire Dummers or may be of separate origin.
The
Dummers of Dummer and Pendomer form the oldest of the English groups. Dummer
is a very small (but nowadays desirable) village in the northern part of Hampshire.
As was the custom of the day, the principal landowner and Lord of the Manor
took his name from the that of the village. The name of the village is said
to be derived from Dun (meaning hill - Dummer Down is prominent there) and Mer
(probably meaning lake or water - of which there is now no sign).
The Dummer family thrived
from the end of the 11th century for 500 years. Early on the family expanded
their landholding when Ralph de Dummer (or Domer) married Agnes de la Penne
from the village of Penne in Somerset. He not only acquired her lands but also
gave his name to her village which became Pendomer - still today a tiny village
with a tiny church near Yeovil. A stone effigy of his grandson Sir William,
a knight in chain mail, lies on his tomb in Pendomer, while a few miles away
in the village of Chilthorne Domer a similar effigy is probably that of Ralph's
son. The lands at Dummer and Pendomer were passed down the generations but eventually
those in Somerset were sold at the beginning of the 15th century. The manor
of Dummer stayed in the family until the end of the sixteenth century when William
Atmore alias Dummer held it. William was Clerk of the Lord Mayor's Court and
Comptroller of the Chamber of London, but his only child was sickly and died
an infant. A brass plaque on the chancel wall in the little church at Dummer
shows William's portrait and that of his infant son.
Although the mainstream
of the Dummers died out with the death of William in 1593, it is highly likely
that branches of the family continued to exist. The 'Pyldren' Dummers may be
one of them. The 'Pyldren' Dummers can be traced back to 1523 when Richard Pyldren
alias Dummer appears at Owslebury married to Maude or Matilda Dummer. Maude
was probably the daughter and heiress of John Dummer, a freeholder and representative
of the King at Overton, near Dummer village. The Dummer name was obviously considered
important enough for Richard Pyldren's descendants to drop the Pyldren name
in favour of Dummer. The 'Pyldren' Dummers were to prosper in numbers and wealth
over the succeeding centuries, and their descendants live today in Great Britain,
Australia and the United States.
The kingpins of the family were Maude's great-grandsons John,
Richard, Thomas and Stephen, each of whom inherited estates in Hampshire. John's
children grew to be particularly wealthy, acquiring many estates to the North
of Southampton, and becoming Members of Parliament. Edmund Dummer (1663-1724)
made his money by practising law and held the Royal appointment of Clerk of
the Great Wardrobe. The most colourful and best known of the branch however
were Thomas Lee Dummer, who bought Cranbury Park, and his son Thomas. Thomas
re-erected part of Netley Abbey as a romantic ruin in his park and also bought
the Winchester Market Cross in 1770 but was prevented from removing it when
the good citizens of Winchester drove his workmen away. He contented himself
with a plaster copy which the rain washed away. It was Thomas who commissioned
the architect George Dance to build the magnificent mansion at Cranbury, but
like all the other descendants of John, he had no male heirs, so all the wealth
and property passed out of the family.
Richard Dummer, a Puritan, emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts
in 1632, where he became a prominent citizen and founding father. His son Jeremiah
was one of America's greatest silversmiths. Jeremiah's son William became Governor
of Massachusetts, built Fort Dummer in Vermont and brought the Indian Wars to
a close. He bequeathed his estates to establish Dummer Academy, the first school
of its kind in the province. Jeremiah's eldest son Jeremiah became His Majesty's
Agent for Massachusetts and Connecticut and his spirited defence of these colonies
makes him an important historical figure. Richard's descendants thrive in the
USA to this day, but back in England the line of his brother Thomas was to survive
only for 3 more generations. Thomas's grandson, Edmund, however was noteworthy
and he features frequently in references to the Royal Dockyards. Initially as
Master Shipwright and later as Surveyor of the Navy he was responsible for the
siting and design of the Dockyard at Plymouth. Subsequent dabbling in packet
boats to the West Indies bankrupted him and he died in the Fleet Prison, London.
The descendants of the fourth brother, Stephen, were principally
yeoman farmers through until the middle of the 19th century. The family of one
of his descendants, Samuel, boarded the ship Rohilla in 1883 and sailed for
Australia where their descendants flourish to this day. Another family moved
to the London area and opened a private school (crammer), changing their name
to Dummere since it sounded French and more likely to impress parents! The family
of William Chamberlayne Dummer (who ran the little chapel at Horton Heath) continues
to thrive in the Winchester and London areas.
The Sussex Dummers
can be traced back to the end of the 17th century in the Midhurst area. Although
Midhurst is close to Hampshire and only 23 miles from Dummer village it is not
possible to prove that they sprang from the Hampshire Dummers - they may have
an independent origin. No land owning Dummers these, but land workers - agricultural
labourers, millers and millwrights, toiling in the villages around Midhurst.
For a while they were Catholics, influenced by the stronghold of that faith
at Cowdray, ruled by Viscount Montague. James , miller of Stedham, and his son
Charles, millwright, were very active in tracing and recording family history.
The Sussex Dummers spread to Australia in 1874, (possibly even earlier in 1860).
In the UK the Sussex Dummers currently form one of the largest groups.
The large ancient
group of Dummers of Lacock remained basically undiscovered until recent years.
Lacock is a very pretty village in North West Wiltshire (often used as a film
set) which over the centuries prospered from the wool trade. The earliest record
of a Dummer in the parish register is dated 1559. The origin of the group is
unknown, but the family features regularly in the registers for the next four
hundred years, very often as weavers. The most famous Dummer of the 20th century
is a Lacock Dummer - Geoffrey Dummer (born 1909) who worked for the Government
on radar and electronic components research and became recognised throughout
the world, receiving several honours. He is acknowledged worldwide as "the prophet
of the integrated circuit" upon which the computer completely depends. In true
British fashion his employer, the Government, failed to capitalise on his expertise
and others were left to develop the principle and to reap the rewards.Dummers
As well as the main
groups of Dummers referred to above we know of a myriad of other Dummers who
could well belong to those groups, but we do not yet have enough information
to place them. Some of these individuals form into small groups. As in all families
some gravitate to the capital city, London. The Welsh Dummers are a large group
appearing in South Wales around 1800 to work in the developing coal fields.
It is likely that they were from Lacock in Wilts - the Lord of the manor at
Lacock was involved in coal mining in S. Wales and gave his name to Port Talbot
there. The Welsh Dummers were prolific and grew to be one of the largest groups.
There are other groups in Hampshire, notably one with two brothers who married
Pyldren Dummers who emigrated to Australia. It is most satisfying when occasionally
a little piece of information comes to light which enables us to 'promote' one
of these Dummers to a main group.
Dummers Today
A few years ago it
was estimated that the world population of Dummers was about 4200 - not really
very many. Of these nearly 1700 were in Germany, Austria and a few in Switzerland.
These were certainly of Germanic origin and not of English extraction. In the
USA there were about 1400 - the larger proportion of which were probably of
German origin. There were estimated to be about 75 in Australia, almost certainly
mainly from England, and about 65 in Canada, which were probably of mixed origin.
In Great Britain there were just under 1000, probably all of English origin,
with the strongest representation in West Sussex, therefore mainly from the
Sussex Dummers.
Dummer Information
The most up to date publication
is the Family of Dummer by Michael Dummer, the 5th Edition (June 1996) copies
of which are held by The Society of Genealogists in London and the Church of Latter
Day Saints in Utah. However this is being continually developed further and anybody
seeking or offering information is recommended to contact the author at the address
near the top of the page, or by Email.
