Home
Sherwood
Carter
Shettle
Kiddle
Trott
Seagroatt
Imber
Grummitt

My Grummitt Ancestry in Lincolnshire

Please E-mail Phil Sherwood if you have links to this surname

Origins & Distribution of the Surname in England
The Grummitt Families who lived at Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs.
Family Photographs
Links to other Grummitt researchers

Origins & Distribution

This rare East Anglian surname is found mainly in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. Some variants of the surname found in Lincolnshire records are GRUM(M)ET(T), GRIM(M)ETT, GROM(M)IT(T) and GROM(M)ET(T). The latter two have almost died out. The largest concentration of GRUMMITT in English records was in Lincs, but other clusters are found in Bedfordshire and London from early times. No Heraldry or grant of Arms appears connected to this surname.

Grummitt was the maiden name of my wife's maternal grandmother, Susannah who was born in 1876 at Morton near Bourne in Lincolnshire. According to the parish registers of Morton which begin in 1541, Grummitts have lived there for over four hundred years, the earliest reference being in 1570. English Surnames by Reaney & Wilson p.207 links Grum(m)it(t) with the surnames Grimmet(t) and gives three possible meanings: (i) a diminutive of Grim, a short form of Grimbald (ii) Old German Grimbald becoming Grimaud, Grimet, or (iii) Old Norse Grimhidlr (f) 'battle-helmet'. The surname is believed to be of Viking or Dutch origin, being clustered around the Fen District of Spalding & Bourne in Lincolnshire. In Clophill, Bedfordshire the surname may derive from a French surname, Groumant.

The Grummitt Families who lived at Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs.

One of Bourne's nearest neighbours, the large parish church of St. John the Baptist in Morton has stood for over 500 years at the end of the main street running due east to the Fens, a prominent landmark in this flat countryside being a tower with tall pinnacles and hideous gargoyles. The churchyard contains several memorials to the Grummitt family, and the name appears as early as 1570 in the Morton registers as GROMIT or GROMETT. Forenames commonly used by the Grummitts in Morton include, Edmund, John, William, Daniel & Joseph for boys & Susannah, Ann, Mary etc. for girls. The first reference in nearby Hacconby registers is not until 1751. A John Grummitt aged 54, born Morton, was living in the Manor House at Hacconby in the 1851 Census, farming 220 acres of land. His mother, Susannah was 85.

My brick wall at present is finding the baptism of Edmund Grummitt ca1804-1807. In the 1851 census for Morton, his birthplace is given as Morton, but his baptism is not in the Morton registers nor on the IGI. It seems probable that his parents were Daniel & Catharine (nee COOK) who had children baptised at Morton in 1798, 1807, 1809 and 1825. Where were they living between 1798 and 1807? Daniel was a Shepherd, so may have moved around for employment. He probably had a brother John born ca1801 at Morton. The family tree shown below is based on the assumption that Edmund was the son of Daniel.

First Generation  

1. William GROMITT. Born  ca 1650. On 10 Jun 1680 when William was 30, he married Ziporah FITZRANDOLPH, in Morton By Bourne LIN. They had the following children:
                      i. John. Born in 1686 in Morton By Bourne LIN.
          2         ii. Edmond (1688-)
                     iii. Randolph. Born in 1693 in Morton By Bourne LIN.  

Second Generation

2. Edmond GROMITT. Born in 1688 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Children:
          3          i. William (1729- )

                     ii. Edmond. Born in 1739 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     iii. Edmd.. Born in 1740 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

 Third Generation  

3. William GRUMMITT. Born in 1729 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Occupation: Farmer. On 24 Sep 1756 when William was 27, he married Mary CAWTHERN, in Morton By Bourne LIN. They had the following children:

                      i. Edm.. Born in 1760 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Edm. died  bef 1767, he was 7.

          4         ii. William (ca1762-)

                     iii. Mary. Born in 1765 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     iv. Edmund. Born in 1767 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Edmund died  bef 1769, he was 2.

          5          v. Daniel (ca1767-1841)

                     vi. Edmund. Born in 1769 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                    vii. John. Born in 1772 in Morton By Bourne LIN. John died in 1772.

          6       viii. John (1773-)

Fourth Generation

4. William GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1762 in Morton By Bourne LIN. On 13 Feb 1800 when William was 38, he married Mary JOHNSON, in Morton By Bourne LIN. They had one child:
          7          i. William (ca1803-1859)

5. Daniel GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1767. Daniel died in Morton By Bourne LIN in 1841, he was 74. Buried on 3 Feb 1841 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Occupation: Shepherd in 1813 at "The Fortyfoot" (Drain), Morton. On 19 May 1796 when Daniel was 29, he married Catherine COOK, in Morton By Bourne LIN. Born in 1774 in ? Morton. Catherine died in Morton By Bourne LIN in Dec 1831, she was 57. They had the following children:

                      i. Anna Maria. Born in 1798 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

          8         ii. John (ca1801-1855)

          9         iii. Edmund (~1804-1873)

                     iv. Elizabeth. Born in 1807 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                      v. Ann. Born in 1808 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     vi. Sarah. Born  ca 1825 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                    vii. George. Born  ca 1825 in Morton By Bourne LIN. George married Elvina.  

6. John GRUMMITT. Born in 1773 in Morton By Bourne LIN. John married Susanna. They had the following children:                       i. Mary. Born in 1798 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Mary died in Morton By Bourne LIN in 1802, she was 4. Buried in 1802 in Morton By Bourne LIN. 
                     ii. Mary. Born in 1802 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Mary died in Morton By Bourne LIN in 1804, she was 2. Buried on 2 Mar 1804 in Morton By Bourne LIN.  

Fifth Generation

 7. William GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1803 in Morton By Bourne LIN. William died in Hacconby LIN in 1859, he was 56. Buried on 21 Jan 1859 in Hacconby LIN. Occupation: Labourer. On 1 Dec 1820 when William was 17, he married Mary NORTH, in Hacconby LIN. Mary died in 1860 in Hacconby LIN. They had one child: 
         10          i. Joseph (ca1824-1904)

8. John GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1801 in Morton By Bourne LIN. John died in 1855, he was 54. Buried on 22 Jul 1855 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Occupation: Labourer. On 1 Jun 1829 when John was 28, he married Mary LAW, in Rippingale LIN. Born in 1800 in Rippingale LIN. They had the following children: 
         11          i. John (ca1830-)

                     ii. William. Born in 1831 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     iii. Edmund. Born in 1834 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     iv. Elizabeth. Born in 1836 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Elizabeth died in Bourne Union in 1860, she was 24. Buried on 22 Oct 1860 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                      v. Jane. Born  ca 1836 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Jane died in Morton By Bourne LIN in 1851, she was 15. Buried on 4 Nov 1851 in Morton by Bourne LIN.

                     vi. Mary. Born in 1837 in Morton By Bourne LIN. On 22 Jun 1858 when Mary was 21, she married Charles STRICKLING, in Morton By Bourne LIN. Born  ca 1831.

                    vii. Sarah. Born in 1840 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                   viii. Frances (Fanny). Born in 1840 in Morton By Bourne LIN. Frances (Fanny) died in Morton By Bourne LIN in Sep 1843, she was 3. Buried in Sep 1843 in Morton by Bourne LIN.

                    ix. Catherine. Born  ca 1842 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

9. Edmund GRUMMITT. Born  abt 1804 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Edmund died in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. on 2 Apr 1873, he was 69. Buried in 1873 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Occupation: Ag.Lab. On 28 Mar 1837 when Edmund was 33, he married Susannah BOOTH, in Hacconby LIN. Born  abt 1815 in Hacconby LIN. Susannah died in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. on 13 May 1894, she was 79. They had the following children:

                      i. Mary. Born in Oct 1837 in Morton-By-Bourne, Lincs.

                     ii. Catherine. Born  abt 1839 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs.

         12         iii. John (1840-1916)

                     iv. Henry. Born  abt 1843.

                      v. William. Born on 23 Nov 1845 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. William died in 1858, he was 12. Buried on 21 Mar 1858 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     vi. Thomas Booth. Born on 7 May 1848 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Occupation: Tailor. ca 1880 when Thomas Booth was 31, he married Hannah BOOLS. Born  abt 1850 in Grantham LIN.

         13        vii. Joseph (1851-)

                   viii. Sarah Ann. Born  abt 1855.

                    ix. Frances. Born  abt 1858. bpt. 10 Jan 1858 Morton. Married 1883 John CHIPCHASE at Bethnal Green, MDX.  

Sixth Generation

10. Joseph GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1824 in Hacconby LIN. Joseph died in Hacconby LIN in 1904, he was 80. Buried on 28 Dec 1904 in Hacconby LIN. Occupation: Ag.Lab. On 15 May 1853 when Joseph was 29, he married Isabella JEFFRIES, in Stamford LIN. Born  ca 1838 in Essex. They had the following children:

                      i. Mary Ann. Born in 1855 in Stamford LIN. Mary Ann died in Rippingale LIN on 26 Oct 1923, she was 68.

                     ii. William. Born  ca 1860 in Hacconby LIN.

11. John GRUMMITT. Born  ca 1830 in Morton by Bourne LIN. Occupation: Farm Labr.  ca 1860 when John was 30, he married Mary ..?. Born  ca 1826 in Bourne LIN. They had the following children:

                      i. Edmund. Born  ca 1860 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     ii. Catherine. Born in 1863 in Manthorpe LIN. Catherine died in 1863. Buried on 14 Dec 1863 in Morton By Bourne LIN.

                     iii. John. Born in 1863 in Manthorpe LIN. John died in 1863. Buried on 14 Dec 1863 in Morton By Bourne LIN.  

12. John GRUMMITT. Born in 1840 in Dyke, Nr Morton LIN. John died in Morton By Bourne LIN in 1916, he was 76. Buried on 28 Nov 1916 in Bourne Cemetery. Occupation: Gardener.  ca 1873 when John was 33, he married Mary Elizabeth ____, in Colsterworth LIN? Born  abt 1832 in Colsterworth LIN. Mary Elizabeth died in Morton By Bourne LIN in Dec 1917, she was 85. They had the following children:

         14          i. Sarah Jane (1874-1948)

         15         ii. Susannah (1876-1963)

         16         iii. Elizabeth Emma (~1879-)

13. Joseph GRUMMITT. Born in 1851 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Occupation: Draper's Porter. Joseph married Emma ?. Born  abt 1848 in Buckingham. They had the following children:

                      i. Edmund. Born  abt 1875 in Kensington MDX.

                     ii. Susannah. Born  abt 1876 in Hammersmith MDX.

                     iii. John H. Born in May 1880 in Kensington MDX. 

Seventh Generation

14. Sarah Jane GRUMMITT. Born on 15 Apr 1874 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Sarah Jane died on 7 Apr 1948, she was 73. On 25 May 1896 when Sarah Jane was 22, she married Tom Baker WRIGHT, in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Born on 11 Apr 1870 in Hacconby LIN. Tom Baker died on 14 Mar 1951, he was 80. They had the following children:

                      i. Tom (1900-)

                     ii. Rita Ella (1906-1998)

                     iii.     Jack

                     iv.       Les

 

15. Susannah GRUMMITT. Born in 1876 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs. Susannah died in 2 Harbour Hill Rd, Poole on 12 Mar 1963, she was 87. Buried in Poole Cemetery. On 18 Feb 1905 when Susannah was 29, she married Charles IMBER, in Highbury, London. Born on 31 Jan 1875 in Semley WIL. Charles died in 2 Harbour Hill Rd, Poole in 1952, he was 76. They had the following children:

                      i. Victoria Simmons (1899-1908)

                     ii. Marguerite (1906-1906)

                     iii. Edna Jane (1907-1998) (mother of Tomasa born 1941)

                     iv. Daisy Adeline (1908-2000)

                      v. Clara Violet (1909-)

                     vi. Marina Darea (1912-1995)

                    vii. Mary Ida Eunice (1915-1998) 

16. Elizabeth Emma GRUMMITT. Born  abt 1879 in Morton-by-Bourne, Lincs.  aft 1901 when Elizabeth Emma was 22, she first married ____ WING. They had the following children:

                      i. Dora (~1907-)

                     ii. Maud (~1909-)
Elizabeth Emma second married ? GRAY. 

Compiled by Philip J Sherwood, 20 Belfield Park Ave, Weymouth, DT4 9RE          March 2003

Some Family Photographs

  This headstone in Morton parish churchyard is on the grave of my wife's 2xgreat-grandparents, Edmund & Susannah Grummitt. The inscription reads:
In Loving Remembrance of
    EDMUND GRUMMITT
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
APRIL 2ND 1873
AGED 68 YEARS
"IN THE MIDST OF LIFE WE ARE IN DEATH"
ALSO OF
SUSANNAH GRUMMITT
WIFE OF THE ABOVE
WHO DIED MAY13TH 1894
AGED 78 YEARS
"HER END WAS PEACE"


Next to this stone is a smaller black slate headstone  which reads " In Ever Loving Memory of our Dear Child 
VICTORIA SYMONS GRUMMITT 
Born October 6th 1899, Died February 9th 1908."

This photo, believed to be taken about 1910-15, shows Mary & John Grummitt (centre) standing behind the gate of their house, The Guild House (now demolished) in Hacconby Lane, Morton. At the window above them is their daughter Sarah Jane who in 1896 had married Tom Wright. He may be the man on the right with cap & pipe. The other figures are not known for certain. In the 1901 census, John & Mary were living at Morton with their daughter Susannah and granddaughter Victoria, while the Wrights were living at Hythe St.Leonard in Kent.

John & Mary are buried in Bourne Cemetery.

 

This photo of John Grummitt, standing on the left with cap and black armband was taken about 1907 at a church guild meeting on the Vicarage lawn at Rippingale. His daughter Emma (known as 'Em') is standing next to him. It is part of a larger group photo on a postcard sent by Emma to her mother & sister Susannah in Northampton, where Charlie Imber was serving in the Army. The girl kneeling below John is possibly his granddaughter, Victoria Symons Grummitt.

 

Frances Grummitt was the youngest child of Edmund & Susannah, baptised 10 Jan 1858 at Morton. In 1883 she married John CHIPCHASE at Bethnal Green in London. She was the great-grandmother of Nikki Baker who kindly gave me permission to publish this picture of her.

 

Left:
Susannah IMBER nee Grummitt 1876-1963 with three of her daughters: Edna Jane aged 5, Violet 4 and Daisy 18 months. Edna (bottom left) was my wife's mother. This studio photo was taken in 1911 on Gibraltar while her husband, Charlie was a Master Tailor in the South Staffordshire Regiment stationed there.

Above: Charlie & Susannah Imber taken in the 1950s.

Links to other Grummitt Researchers

Nikki Baker is descended from the Frances Grummitt shown in the above photograph, and would like to make contact with anyone researching her Chipchase or Grummitt lines. She is a third cousin of my wife.

There is a Rootsweb mailing list for anyone researching the name GRUMMITT and variants. The list administrator is Louise English who is descended from James Grummitt b.1798 in Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire married in 1819. Ann Saunders b.1799 at Clophill (they had 14 children). The Grummitt family lived at Clophill, Bedfordshire in the early 19C. Further details are on her website http://www.florall.com/familyhistory/grummitt/home.htm 

Keith Grummitt in Kettering, Northants. would like to make contact with any Grummitts who descend from those at Morton by Bourne, Lincs. E-mail  (March 2008). His grandfather, Stephen Grummitt of Morton by Bourne moved to Folkestone, Kent in the Army (Shorncliffe Barracks).