Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning

Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.

- Derek Palgrave

BEAUMONT

This is a very high-frequency name, stemming from any of the five places in Normandy with this name, which literally means, ‘beautiful hill’.

It is believed that most English bearers of this surname are likely to have descended from Henry de Beaumont, a French soldier who died in 1340.

Among other early bearers were Rogerius de Belmont in the Domesday Book, Ralph de Belmont in (Oxon Pipe Rolls 1187); John Bemund (Norfolk Hundred Rolls 1275): William Beumound ( Oxon Hundred Rolls 1279); Willelmus Bemont (Gloucs Poll Tax 1381); and Isack Bemond (North Elmgham PR 1555).

Basil Beaumont (1669-1703) was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. He commanded a squadron off Dunkirk in 1696. He was senior officer off Spithead in 1699. Basil drowned in a wreck on the Goodwin Sands. Joseph Beaumont was a Wesleyan minister who became widely known as an eloquent speaker.

John Beaumont was a colonel who attended Charles II in exile and was employed at the Court of James II. He was cashiered by court-martial for opposing the admission of Irishmen into his regiment. Robert de Beaumont was the first Earl of Leicester (1104-1168), Justiciary of England. He took part in the Civil War of 1139. He founded the Abbey of St Mary de Pre in Leicester. Sir George Howland Beaumont (17531827) was a patron of the arts and a landscape painter. He was educated at Eton and New College, Oxford. He was MP for Beeralston and presented several valuable pictures to the National Gallery.