The Name Ironmonger

The Name

iron-monger (i'ron-mun'gar) noun
BRIT. a dealer in hardware
Etymology: see iron & monger
Related Forms:
ironmongery (i'ron-mon'gery) noun
BRIT. a hardware store

Where did the English Ironmonger family come from? What is the English coat of arms/family crest? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

The many generations of the Ironmonger family can all place the beginning of their family name with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name reveals that an early member worked as a person who worked in iron. The surname Ironmonger originally derived from the Old English components iren and mangere which signified the profession of ironmonger.

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ironmonger include Ironmonger, Iremonger, Irmynges and others.

First found in Lincolnshire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.


Early Recordings

Surname: Ironmonger

Recorded as Iremonger and Ironmonger, this is an ancient medieval English surname. It is not absolutely clear when the surname was first recorded, but John le Ironmonger of Oxford, and John Irinmongere of Huntingdon, both appear in the Hundred Rolls of their respective cities in the year 1273. Occupational surnames only usually developed into surnames when a son or perhaps a grandson, followed the father into the same work or profession. This may account for the reason why the "le" appears in the first recording, but not the second, on the other hand given that few could write their name and local dialects were very thick, it may just have been simple clerical error. As ironmongers were admitted to their own guild, this suggests that the occupation was not just a retail sales function, but probably involved actually making or at least designing whatever iron implements and tools were ultimately sold. Examples of the surname recordings taken from the surviving registers of the diocese of Greater London include those of Joane Ironmonger who married Henry Holden at St James church, Clerkenwell, in 1617, and in 1666, Richard Warner married Elinor Iremonger, at the same church.

ref: THE INTERNET SURNAME DATABASE


Heraldry

"While the use of distinguishing symbols has been adopted by the world's tribes and nations stretching back into ancient history, heraldry as it is now defined first became established in Europe following the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066, rapidly gaining in popularity during the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century. More properly referred to as armoury, heraldry is a system of identification that uses hereditary personal devices portrayed on shields and later as crests, on surcoats (worn over armour), bardings (armour and trappings for horses), and banners (personal flags used throughout the middle ages), to assist in the identification of knights in battle and in tournaments. These distinctive devices, marks, and colours, most commonly referred to as coats of arms for the display of arms on surcoats, were first adopted by the greater nobility. By the mid-13th century, however, coats of arms were also in extensive use by lesser nobility, knights, and those who later came to be known as gentlemen. By custom during the middle ages, and later by law through granting authorities, an individual coat of arms belonged to one man only, being passed from him to his male-line descendants. There is, therefore, no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname."

ref: Intro to Heraldry - A Primer for Genealogists by Kimberley Powell

The IRONMONGER coat of arms displayed on this page is for information only, with no claims of it's applicability to my own or any other family line.

Ironmonger Place of Origin

The name according to researchers was Saxon. This name, Ironmonger, emerged as an influential name in the county of Lincolnshire where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated with manor and estates in that shire. Although this name sounds as if it is trade name of a Hardware dealer, it was descended from the ancient Irmynges or Saxon of Oermengar meaning 'a great spear'. The name by the 13th and 14th century had been corrupted to both Ironmonger and Iremonger. The family branched to Wherwell in Hampshire and to Lancashire and Shropshire and also established other estates in Lincolnshire.

The Saxon race gave birth to many English surnames not the least of which was the surname Ironmonger. The Saxons were invited into England by the ancient Britons in the 5th century. They were a race of fair skinned people living along the Rhine valley as far north east as Denmark. They were led by General/Commanders Hengist and Horsa. The Saxons settled in the county of Kent, on the south east coast of England. Gradually, they probed north and westward.

ref: Place of Origination from Patricia Ironmonger