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De La Mare Coat of Arms |
The clan de la Mare is one of the oldest in Normandy and takes its name from the de la Mare Castle, which was built on the edge of a lake, that is still called Grande-Mare, in St. Opportune-la-Mare, Normandy, France. As occurs with most Norman families, the de la Mares are descended from the norsemen who came to Normandy, during the viking invasions in the 9th century and the peoples who inhabited the ancient Roman Gaul. The name de la Mare was a result of the french influence over the original name av Møre, which is associated with the village of Møre, near Trondheim, Norway.
The de la Mares are direct male descendants of Thorir "The Silent" Rognvaldsson, Earl of Møre and Romsdahl, who was a son of Rognvald "The Wise" Eysteinsson, Earl of Møre and Romsdahl, and Ragnhilda Rolfsdatter, Princess of Norway, and a brother of Rolf (Rollo) "The Ganger" Rognvaldsson, the first Duke of Normandy.
Thorbard av Møre, son of Thorir and Alof Arbot Haraldsdatter, Princess of Norway and daughter of King Harald "Fairhair", was a great sailor and one of the commanders of the viking raids, at the time of the conquest of Normandy. Thorbard received from his uncle, Rollo, the great fief of St. Opportune, in Normandy. He married his cousin Griselle of Normandy, daughter of Rollo and Giselle, Princess of France and daughter of King Charles "The Simple" of France. The name Thorbard av Møre was changed to Herbert de la Mare, and he became the first Lord of St. Opportune-la-Mare.
Walter Fitz Herbert de la Mare, son of Thorbard and Griselle, was a grandson of Thorir, Earl of Møre, and Alof Arbot, Princess of Norway, on his father´s side, and a grandson of Rollo, Duke of Normandy, and Giselle, Princess of France, on his mother´s side. Walter, Lord of St. Opportune-la-Mare, married Arabelle de Bellême, from the house of Bellême, daughter of Yves de Bellême, Lord of Bellême and Marquis of Alençon, and Godchild of Ponthieu, Countess of Ponthieu.
Guillaume Fitz Walter de la Mare, was the Lord of St. Opportune-la-Mare and son of Walter and Arabelle. Guillaume de la Mare married Louisa de Goz, daughter of Louis de Goz, Viscount of Avranches, and Adelisa of Brittany, Countess of Ponthieu and Brittany.
Norman Fitz Guillaume de la Mare, who appears in Domesday and lived circa 1025, was a great feudal Lord in Normandy and the owner of the de la Mare Castle. He married the daughter of Roger de Pitres, Viscount of Gloucester. Several de la Mare brothers joined in the invasion of England under William The Conqueror in 1066. Norman´s sons, Guillaume, Hugue, Ralph and Roger, are the first members of the clan in England, although other branches followed their steps throughout the centuries. The Normans, led by Duke William, defeated the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings and extended their power over England. The de la Mares who fought at Hastings were granted land in England and became english Barons.
During the centuries, many variations of the original name de la Mare appeared as a result of migrations, wars, and the evolution of the languages. Therefore, the name de la Mare is also spelled de Lamare, De Mare, de Mara, Delamare, de la Marre, Delamarre, Lamarr, Mair, av Maere and Lamar. Other de la Mare descendants adopted names such as Badewe, Baddlesmere, Monthalt, Kilpec, Dene in order to reflect the ownership of their feudal lands.
Other de la Mare family members are believed to have taken part in the invasion of Italy, led by Tancred de Hauteville in 1041. Moreover, Norman´s eldest son, Robert de la Mare, Lord of St. Opportune, stayed in Normandy since he was the heir to the feudal lands. Most of the french lines are descended from him. The German lines of the family settled originally in Lorraine and Prussia, and then spread over the Holy German Empire. Another branch of the family moved to Denmark and it is from these men that the Brazilian branch is descended from. Finally, the North American and Canadian lines came from the United Kingdom and France.
References:
[1] B. Burke, J. B. Burke, The Battle Abbey Roll.
[2] H. Bells, A Family Through Ages, 1992.
[3] K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, Domesday People : A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents, 1066-1166 : Domesday Book, March 1999.
[4] K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, D. E. Thornton, D. Tornton, Domesday Names : An Index of Latin Personal and Place Names in Domesday Book, January, 1998.
[5] R. A. Brown, The Normans and The Norman Conquest, 2nd edition, The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, September, 1985.
[6] F.W. Maitland, Domesday Book and Beyond: Three Essays in the Early History of England, January, 1988.
[7] The Falaise Rolls.
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