Bulmer (family)
Encyclopedia
The Bulmer family were a noble family of Norman
England
, resident in Yorkshire
. The family take their name from Bulmer, North Yorkshire
. The name Bulmer comes from English
"Bull mere", a lake frequented by a bull, and is an Anglicised form of Gaelic
"Búir na mara" from the Celtic tribe Brigantes
during their occupation of the area. Ansketil de Bulmer was the first documented member of the Bulmer family who lived in the area in the twelfth century with the current spelling.
. The surname Bulmer is the subject of much discussion as it is believed that they were an aristocratic family of Anglo-Saxon origin who retained their status after the invasion of the Normans. It is believed that the Bulmers were related to the Anglo-Saxon noble Liulf, who was the first member of the Lumley family. Liulf was murdered at Gateshead by the retainers of William Walcher
, the first Norman Bishop of Durham, in 1081.
The Bulmers are thought to have continued as tenants of the Normans who inherited Liulf's land in Yorkshire. Sometime in the twelfth century Ansketil Bulmer is said to have married the daughter of the Lord of Brancepeth
and their son Bertram Bulmer, who succeeded him as High Sheriff, inherited this property. Later the Bulmers intermarried with the powerful Norman family of Neville, who adopted the bull for their coat of arms and inherited Brancepeth Castle
. Raby Castle
, the other great Neville property may also have belonged to the Bulmers as the oldest part of this castle, the Saxon Bulmer Tower, is inscribed with the initials BB for Bertram Bulmer.
, Wilton
, in present day Redcar and Cleveland
.
Sir Ralph Bulmer was Lord of the Manor
of Wilton, in 1310, and was granted a royal licence to crenellate his manor house
there in 1330.
Sir William Bulmer (1465–1531) of Wilton was High Sheriff of Durham 1503-1516 and High Sheriff of Yorkshire
in 1517. His son Sir John Bulmer (1481–1537) and his wife Ann Bigod, were heavily involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace
of October 1536 led by Robert Aske
and in Bigod's Rebellion
, the uprising of January 1537 led by her nephew Sir Francis Bigod
of Settrington
. Both Bulmer and Lady Bulmer were convicted of High Treason
and were executed on 25 May 1537 , he by hanging at Tyburn and she by burning at the stake at Smithfield, London
. Their estates were forfeited but were later recovered by their son Ralph
.
William Bulmer (1492–1546) brother of John, married Elizabeth Elmeden, heiress of Embleton near Sedgfield, Co Durham and thereby acquired estates at Embleton
, Tursdale
, Claxton and Fishburn
. Much land was sold by Sir Bertram Bulmer (1579–1638) and that remaining was sequestered in 1644 when his son, William Bulmer was declared a delinquent for opposition to Parliament during the Civil War
. The estate was eventually restored to his brother Anthony and sold by him.
Wilton Castle was slighted following the Civil War and was thereafter uninhabitable. It was demolished and rebuilt by a new owner in the early 19th century
in Newcastle, England.
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, resident in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The family take their name from Bulmer, North Yorkshire
Bulmer, North Yorkshire
Bulmer is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 174. The village is about seven miles south-west of Malton....
. The name Bulmer comes from English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
"Bull mere", a lake frequented by a bull, and is an Anglicised form of Gaelic
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
"Búir na mara" from the Celtic tribe Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
during their occupation of the area. Ansketil de Bulmer was the first documented member of the Bulmer family who lived in the area in the twelfth century with the current spelling.
Bulmer of Bulmer and Brancepeth
Ansketil was the High Sheriff of YorkshireHigh Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
. The surname Bulmer is the subject of much discussion as it is believed that they were an aristocratic family of Anglo-Saxon origin who retained their status after the invasion of the Normans. It is believed that the Bulmers were related to the Anglo-Saxon noble Liulf, who was the first member of the Lumley family. Liulf was murdered at Gateshead by the retainers of William Walcher
William Walcher
William Walcher was the bishop of Durham from 1071, a Lotharingian, the first non-Englishman to hold that see and an appointee of William the Conqueror....
, the first Norman Bishop of Durham, in 1081.
The Bulmers are thought to have continued as tenants of the Normans who inherited Liulf's land in Yorkshire. Sometime in the twelfth century Ansketil Bulmer is said to have married the daughter of the Lord of Brancepeth
Brancepeth
Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century...
and their son Bertram Bulmer, who succeeded him as High Sheriff, inherited this property. Later the Bulmers intermarried with the powerful Norman family of Neville, who adopted the bull for their coat of arms and inherited Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle is a castle in the village of Brancepeth in County Durham, England, some 5 miles south-west of the city of Durham . It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
. Raby Castle
Raby Castle
Raby Castle is situated near Staindrop in County Durham and is one of the largest inhabited castles in England. The Grade I listed building has opulent eighteenth and nineteenth century interiors inside a largely unchanged, late medieval shell. It is the home and seat of John Vane, 11th Baron...
, the other great Neville property may also have belonged to the Bulmers as the oldest part of this castle, the Saxon Bulmer Tower, is inscribed with the initials BB for Bertram Bulmer.
Bulmer of Wilton
A later branch of the Bulmer family had its seat at Wilton CastleWilton Castle (Yorkshire)
Wilton Castle is an early 19th century mansion house, built on the site of a medieval castle, now converted into residential apartments, situated at Wilton, in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is a Grade II listed building....
, Wilton
Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland
Wilton is a small village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.-Geography:It is located between Redcar and Eston at the base of Eston Hills - to the east of Eston Nab. The village is noted for its golf course and castle, Wilton...
, in present day Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
.
Sir Ralph Bulmer was Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Wilton, in 1310, and was granted a royal licence to crenellate his manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
there in 1330.
Sir William Bulmer (1465–1531) of Wilton was High Sheriff of Durham 1503-1516 and High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
in 1517. His son Sir John Bulmer (1481–1537) and his wife Ann Bigod, were heavily involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
of October 1536 led by Robert Aske
Robert Aske (political leader)
Robert Aske was an English lawyer who became the leader of rebellion in York. He led the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 and was executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1537.-Biography:...
and in Bigod's Rebellion
Bigod's Rebellion
Bigod's Rebellion of January 1537 was an armed rebellion by English Roman Catholics in Cumberland and Westmorland against King Henry VIII of England and the English Parliament...
, the uprising of January 1537 led by her nephew Sir Francis Bigod
Francis Bigod
Sir Francis Bigod was the leader of Bigod's Rebellion.He owned two residences in Yorkshire, Settrington and Mulgrave.-References:...
of Settrington
Settrington
Settrington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It once had a railway station that lay on the Malton and Driffield Railway.-History:...
. Both Bulmer and Lady Bulmer were convicted of High Treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and were executed on 25 May 1537 , he by hanging at Tyburn and she by burning at the stake at Smithfield, London
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
. Their estates were forfeited but were later recovered by their son Ralph
Ralph Bulmer (soldier)
Sir Ralph Bulmer of Wilton in Yorkshire , was an English knight and soldier active on the Scottish border and during the war of the Rough Wooing....
.
William Bulmer (1492–1546) brother of John, married Elizabeth Elmeden, heiress of Embleton near Sedgfield, Co Durham and thereby acquired estates at Embleton
Embleton, County Durham
Embleton is a hamlet, township and former chapelry, in County Durham, in England, as well as the site of a medieval village and manor. It is situated east of Sedgefield and west of Hartlepool. The township was historically named "Elmdene", supposedly derived from the site's proximity to a...
, Tursdale
Tursdale
Tursdale is a hamlet in County Durham, England. It is situated in rural landscape about two miles to the west of Coxhoe, two miles North of Cornforth and around five miles south of Durham. It is part of the civil parish of Cassop-cum-Quarrington.It is ideally located for speedy access to both...
, Claxton and Fishburn
Fishburn
Fishburn is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated a few miles to the west of Hartlepool. It has a population of 2,454.-Location:...
. Much land was sold by Sir Bertram Bulmer (1579–1638) and that remaining was sequestered in 1644 when his son, William Bulmer was declared a delinquent for opposition to Parliament during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The estate was eventually restored to his brother Anthony and sold by him.
Wilton Castle was slighted following the Civil War and was thereafter uninhabitable. It was demolished and rebuilt by a new owner in the early 19th century
Bulmer in Burning Times
Matthew Bulmer had been purportedly hanged in 1649 due to accusation of witchcraft during Witch trials in Early Modern EuropeWitch trials in Early Modern Europe
The Witch trials in the Early Modern period were a period of witch hunts between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, when across Early Modern Europe, and to some extent in the European colonies in North America, there was a widespread hysteria that malevolent Satanic witches were operating as...
in Newcastle, England.