BLAKEMORE was a local name 'of Blackmore' a parish in the diocese of Winchester and a parish in the diocese of St. Albans. The name was derived from the Old English Blacmoor. Place names as family names come from many different centuries and many different countries. They come from places where the original holder of the name lived or had once lived. They indicate the precise locality in whatever way made most sense to other people at the time. In fact very often this kind of name was given to people by their contemporaries, sometimes as nicknames which just stuck. For example if people were living in a foreign country others often called them by the name of their country of origin. Or if they were living in an area of their own country populated by others of a different ethnic origin they may have been called a name which indicated that. If people - whether in their own country or not - were living in a different County, City, Town or Village than the one from which they came (or were thought to have come!) they have often been called by a name to indicate their real or supposed place of origin. And even within a small village or country parish the name of a farm where they lived or of a hill or river or other landmark near their home has often been used to distinguish one person from another especially when personal names (such as Saints names) were very common and weren't enough to clearly identify one individual. Early records of the name mention William Blak-hommore, Norwich, 1398. Margary de Blakmore, County Somerset, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) Thomas Cox married Mary Blackmore at St. George's, Hanover Square, London in 1745. A notable member of the name was Richard Dodridge Blackmore (1825-1900). English Novelist and author of 'Lorna Doone '. Arms registered in Bishops Nympton County Devon 1620.
The name is also spelt Blackmoore and Blackmure.
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