This page was set up by Robert Sewell in June 2006 to show the Pyldrym / Dummer Family since the earliest known times.  Robert Sewell graduated from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) in 1967 with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry.  After a year of studies at the University of Toronto's College of Education, he taught high school science in Collingwood, Ontario for a year and then taught chemistry, physics and general science in Hamilton, Ontario for twenty-nine years.  Robert Sewell retired from teaching in June 1998.

Source of Information

    The information on this page came initially from the pedigree chart for the Pyldrym / Dummer Family in Professor Edward Elbridge Salisbury's Family Memorials, published privately in 1885.
     Many thanks to Sewell V. Sample (pictured to the right) who kindly shared Mr. Salisbury's chart.

Additional sources include:
{Judge} Samuel Sewall, Diary, 1674 - 1729
Prof. Edward Elbridge Salisbury, Family Memorials, published privately in 1885, pages 215 - 280
Michael Dummer: The Family of Dummer, published privately in June 2005
Mr. Don Beattie for much help and encouragement
Mr. Paul S. Monks, Letters, November & December 2004

Click for  PDF index

Early History and the Dummer Name

    The Dummer name originates with the Village of Dummer in northern Hampshire that takes its name from the Old English words "Dun" (hill) and "Mer" (lake or water). There is to-day a hill known as Dummer Hill, but there is no lake or pond. It has been suggested that perhaps the pond dried up long ago. The earliest people bearing the Dummer name used it in the form "de Dummer" (or Domer, Dumer, etc.) to mean "from Dummer". For example, Geoffrey de Dummer was "Geoffrey from Dummer" to distinguish himself from other Geoffreys. Try this link to MultiMap, or go to http://www.multimap.com and search for Dummer in Great Britain.

    Strictly speaking, the Dummer name should have died out in the 14th century when the heiress Ellen de Dummer married Sir Nicholas Atte More; but their descendants adopted the Dummer name. The same situation appears to have arisen in the 16th century when Matilda Dummer married Richard Pyldren; but once again the descendants seem to have adopted the Dummer name.

Eleventh Century

    Mr. Paul Monks, who kindly shared the following details in November 2004, states the connections suggested cannot "be regarded as cast-iron certainties but they are considerably more likely than not . . .."
 

Generation One
Henry de Domera, living 1107 - 1128 had a son:

• Ralph de Dummera

Generation Two
Ralph de Dummera
Living 1148
Died before 1205
Married to Agnes de la Penne, heiress of Penne, Somerset; which place was afterwards known as Penne-Domer, and still exists as Pendomer, situated about four miles southwest of Yeovil and four miles east of Crewkerne. Try this link to MultiMap, or go to http://www.multimap.com and search for Pendomer in Great Britain.

Ralph and Agnes had the following children:

• Henry de Dummer
• Robert de Dummer who married and had children.  The line terminated in an heiress circa 1350
• Geoffry, who became a priest and was the parson of Dummer in Hampshire.

Generation Three
Henry de Dummer had the following children:

• Sir William de Dummer
• two daughters

Generation Four
Sir William de Dummer, living 1213 - 1243
Sir William married Sibilla de Caune, a sister of Herbert de Caune, lord of the manor of Drayton, Hampshire.

Sibilla and Sir William had a son:

• Sir John de Dummer

Generation Five
Sir John de Dummer, living 1268 - 1320
Sir John married a sister of Sir William Paynel, Baron Paynel, and they had the following children:

• Thomas de Dommer
• Richard de Dommer (d.s.p., decessit sine prole, died without issue.)
• John de Dommer who married and had children.  John succeeded to the estate in Pendomer, Somerset; his grandson and last male heir sold it in 1408. The line terminated in co-heiresses in the early 15th century.

Generation Six
Thomas de Dommer succeeded to the family estate in Dummer, Hampshire.
Died in 1316
Thomas married Joan, and they had the following children:

• John de Dummer (d.s.p.)
• Thomas de Dummer

Generation Seven
Thomas de Dummer was a minor in 1318, was living in 1349, and had a daughter:

• Ellen de Dummer

• Thomas At More or Thomas Dummer

Generation Nine
Thomas At More (Thomas Dummer)  had a son:

• Henry Dummer

Generation Ten
Henry Dummer, living in 1428, married and had a son:

• Robert of Dummer

Generation Eleven
Robert Dummer of Dummer, Hampshire, Lord of the Manor and Patron of the Church of Dummer, Hampshire in 1450 and 1462.
Robert had two sons:

• George of Dummer who died before 1510.  His only daughter, an heiress, married Thomas Tottishurst of Kent.
• Henry of Dummer

• Richard, living in 1524 - 1525 who had the following children:
• Joane Dummer (d.s.p.)
• John Dummer (d.s.p.)
• William At More (or Dummer), born on February 13, 1508/09, was for fifty years Clerk of the Lord Mayor's Court and Comptroller of the Cahmaber of London. He died in 1593 and was buried at Dummer on July 11, 1593. William married Kinborough Brydges, a daughter of Edmund Brydges of London, and they had a son:
• Richard who died an infant.

 

Professor Salisbury reports in his "Family Memorials" (1885) that there is a brass plate in the East wall of the Chancel of the Dummer Church with an inscription, part of which is as follows:

"Within this toumbe lyethe buryed ye bodye of William at More al's Dommer  Esquyre borne the xiiith daye of Februarye Anno 1508 . . .  ". . . he maryed Kinborowe Daughter of Edmunde Brydges . . . ". . . had issue betwene them a sonne who died in his infancie." E.E. Salisbury, Family Memorials, Privately Printed, 1885, pages 216 & 217

However, some online genealogies claim Richard did not die an infant, and that he married Matilda (or Maude) Dummer; see Generation Two below.

• Margaret Dummer
• John Dummer (died on January 1, 1570/71) who had the following children:
• two sons who died infants
• Rose Dummer who married John Edmonds of London in 1561
• Joan Dummer (died in 1605) who married at Dummer on October 5, 1561 to John Cocke

Generation One
John Dummer of Overton, Hampshire, living 1471 - 1506, Strong evidence suggests he had a daughter:

• Matilda (or Maude) Dummer

    Matilda married Richard Pyldren of Owlsebury and Overton, Hampshire (died before 1540/41) and apparently also used the names Pyldrem, Domer and Dummer.

    Richard is referred to in various documents as "Richard Pyldren alias Domer" and "Richard Dummer alias Pyldren". Matilda (or Maude) is referred to as "Mawde Pillgryme" in other documents. Thus, it is not entirely certain who was "Dummer" and who was "Pyldren" in this relationship. This has apparently encouraged some overly enthusiastic family historians to claim that Richard Pyldren was the Richard Dummer in Generation Twelve above who died an infant. However, the preponderance of evidence would seem to indicate that Matilda Dummer, daughter of John Dummer of Overton, married Richard Pyldren of Owlsebury and Overton as shown here.

    Professor Salisbury wrote:  "At all events, this Richard Pyldren and Maude his wife are the earliest ancestors, of whom we can be absolutely certain, of the Dummers of New England, and of Bishopstoke and elsewhere in Hampshire."  (E.E. Salisbury, Family Memorials, Privately Printed, 1885, pages 216 & 217)

    Matilda and Richard had the following sons, both named John.  Although this seems strange to us to-day, two brothers with the same Christian name are of frequent occurrence for 300 years before this and perhaps 100 years after. It is unclear which John was the eldest:

• John Pyldren (or Pyldryn) who married at Newton Vance, Hampshire, on October 5, 1541 to Joane Smith, daughter of Robert and Agatha Smith.  John Pyldren appears to have died without issue as no children are named in his will which was dated August 24, 1559 and was proved at Winchester on June 3, 1561.
• John Pyldren (or Pyldryn)

Generation Three
John Pyldren (or Pyldryn) of Overton and Durley, Hampshire.
Died in December 1574
John married Alice, who survived him, but about whom little else is known. She may be "Alice Dummer, widow" who was buried at Durley on December 15, 1603, but this is uncertain.

John and Alice had the following children:

• John Dummer who is the ancestor of the Dummers of Durley, Hampshire.
• Thomas Pyldrym (or Dommer)
• Joan who married either Richard White or William Colebrook
• Margary who married either Richard White or William Colebrook.
• Alice who died in December 1568

Generation Four
Thomas Pyldrym (or Dommer)of Bishopstoke, Hampshire.
Living on September 24, 1625
Died before March 11, 1625/26
Thomas married Joane, and they had the following sons:

• John Dummer of Swathling, Hampshire who had issue:
• Thomas Dummer who married on August 2, 1659 to his cousin Mary Dummer.
• {Rev.} John Dummer who was unmarried.
• Edmund Dummer who married Barbara Cornelius.
• Anne Dummer who married Richard Chemish (or Kemish).
• Dorothy Dummer who married John Hunt.
• Elizabeth Dummer who married Robert Blake.
• Richard Dummer of Bishopstoke (1598 - 1678/79) who emigrated to New England and had issue:
• {Rev.} Shubael Dummer who married in 1656 to Mary Rishworth. Shubael was shot at his own door on the occasion of a surprise attack on York by a large party of Indians and French Canadians in January 1691/92. His wife was carried into captivity.
• Jeremiah Dummer who married Ann (or Hannah) Atwater; their son:
• Governor William Dummer of Massachusetts who willed his mansion and 300 acre farm at Byfield, Massachusetts "for the endowment of a free grammar-school."  Click for more about William Dummer.
• Hannah Dummer who married Jeremiah Allen.
• Richard Dummer who married Elizabeth Appleton and had issue:
• Richard Dummer.
• Nathaniel Dummer who married Sarah Moody; and from whom is descended Don Beattie.
• William Dummer.
• Thomas Dummer of Dummer Park who had issue:
• Thomas Dummer who married Joane.
• Joane Dummer who married Thomas Nelson of Rowley, Massachusetts.
• Margaret Dummer who married Job Clements.
• Susan Dummer.
• Hester Dummer.
• Jane Dummer who married Mr. Carter.
• Mary Dummer who married on August 2, 1659 to her cousin Thomas Dummer.
• Stephen Pyldrym or Dummer

• Stephen Dummer (1621 - 1695) who married Alice Matthew and had issue:
• Nathaniel Dummer, d.s.p. æt 81
• Stephen  Dummer and a twin, both died as  infants.
• Mary Dummer who married Mr. Young.
• Stephen Dummer (born 1670) who married Ann Colebrook and had issue:
• Thomas Dummer (b.1700) who married Mary Osman and from whom is descended Paul S. Monks.
• Sarah Dummer who married Thomas Storke.
• Jane Dummer.
• Samuel Dummer who married Rebecca.
• Richard Dummer who died unmarried.
• Thomas Dummer who married and had issue:
• Stephen Dummer.
• Nathaniel Dummer who married Abigail and had issue:
• Nathaniel Dummer who married Elizabeth.
• Stephen Dummer, d.s.p. æt 31
• John Dummer who died a child.
• Abigail Dummer who married John Cosens.
• Hester Dummer who married Thomas Eastman
• Elizabeth Dummer who died a child.
• Mary Dummer who married Walter Gater.
• Sarah Dummer who married Mr. Weekes
• Jane Dummer
• Dorothy Dummer
• Mehetable Dummer, who appears in {Judge} Samuel Sewall’s Diary as "Aunt Holt", married Mr. Holt and had issue:
• Thomas Holt
• Robert Holt
• Jane Holt
• Mehetable Holt
• Sarah Dummer who married and had 2 children.
• Ann Dummer, who appears in {Judge} Samuel Sewall’s Diary as "Aunt Rider", married James Rider and had issue:
• James Rider
• John Rider
• Ann Rider
• Mary Rider
• Deborah Rider

Generation Six
Jane Dummer
Born at Bishopstoke, Hampshire in 1628
Died at Newbury, Massachusetts on January 13, 1701, Æt 72.

Jane married to {Rev} Henry Sewall (III) at Newbury, Massachusetts on March 25, 1646.

Click to contact Robert Sewell