This is Chapter One of seven: Please start here — everything will be explained in due time. We’re not in a rush.
Introduction: Hollywood Has Really Messed Things Up
If you think about classic movies like The Adventures of Robin Hood, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, viewers have the sanitized impression that the Middle Ages were a lot of fun and games, hither ’n yon, etc., but of course… we all know that just wasn’t true.
There were a lot of wars, people were stressed out, dry cleaners didn’t exist, and worst of all (!), there was no Tylenol available for those tension headaches after a night of drinking too much “mulled wine”. But our ancestors, resourceful as they were, somehow pulled through. We know, we’ve got their genes.
The costume designer obviously had a “bedazzled” phase with that Pegasus motif.
At some point, our ancestors switched from eating like this:
We still eat like this — especially when we get a bucket of Extra Crispy at KFC.
To eating like this:
We wonder what type of family crest they had at Downton Abbey?
Surely, we jest? But there is signifigance in what a Pegasus heraldry symbol meant to the other troops, and what the finally laid table of an upperclass British family meant to the villagers: there was always an audience looking on.
When it comes to the ancient deErth family and the ancient Bond family, we had heraldry for a purpose. Let us explain… (1)
Let’s Pause for a Moment to Look at Symbolic Thinking
We all know what these symbols mean, right? Creating and adding meaning to symbols is a uniquely human trait. As such, symbolic thinking is a feature which sets us apart from all other thinking creatures.
In the pre-literate world, symbols became very important, because once learned, they guided people to understand with whom, or what, they were dealing with. To an extant, that is still true today, especially with sports, commerce, and religion.
Heraldry originated when most people were illiterate, but could easily recognize a bold, striking, and simple design. I guess you could call it an early form of social media, with the court heralds being influencers.
What is a Coat-of-Arms?
Words used to describe symbols like these, are called “blazons”.
How did a coat-of-arms get started? The first coat-of-arms were used to distinguish one knight from another. When a knight had on his full armor, including plate mail and helmet, even his friends couldn’t recognize him. Because of this, knights began to paint symbols on their shields. The symbols on a coat-of-arms were meant to represent the achievements of the person, manor, or state, to whom the arms were granted. They eventually began to put the symbol on their banner and the cloth surcoat they wore over their armor. This is how it got the name coat-of-arms.
To use and legally bear a coat-of-arms, a person had to be granted the honor by a ruling monarch. The laws and rules regarding the right to use them, and if they could be passed on varied greatly by region, ruler, and country. In England and Scotland, the individual granted the coat-of-arms was the only one who could use it and display it. It wasn’t until King Richard I, in the 13th century, that a coat-of-arms became hereditary.
Coat-of-Arms for the DeErth and Bonds of Erth Families
Ancient heraldry for the deErth family. The only design which was evident within the Bond family following the deErth family’s three deer heads of Erth. The subsequent black chevron with three gold bezants (coins), is the registered and recognized Bonds of Erth heraldry.
Arms of Bond of Erth Barton, near Saltash, Cornwall. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.com).
At first glance, we thought that this coat-of-arms was just a little bit plain jane. Then we came to realize that this is what authenticity looks like.
What Did the Colors Mean?
The colors in heraldry are called tinctures. Old French words were used to describe the colors of the background, which came to have different meanings. Red (gules) was the color of a warrior and nobility, blue (azure) for truth and sincerity, black (sable) for piety and knowledge, and green (vert) for hope and joy. Presently, English heraldry has seven colors (tinctures) including two metals (gold, silver) and five colors (blue, red, purple, black, green).
Estucheon, the shape of the shield.
Helm, the top center of this shape, where future generations might add elements to represent their individual family.
Charge, the main picture in the center of the coat of arms. In our family, we had a black Chevron, that is the pointed shape on the estucheon.
Ordinaries, designs that appeared on the field. In our family, we had Bezants, these are the three gold coins diplayed on the black chevron. This motif is derived from Richard, the Earl of Cornwall.
What is a Family Crest?
Everyone gets confused and uses these coat-of-arms and family crest interchangeably. They are not the same. The crest is the helm (top portion) of the coat-of-arms and is actually part of the overall design. The crest is an identifier for what the person (who was originally granted the coat-of-arms) did, in order to receive the honor. Some families have used it as a symbol, without the full arms beneath it.
In the Introduction we wrote about how different eating styles have evolved over time. Family crests evolved for the fortunate few to to use to mark their property. For example, if your Family Shield was too complex to recreate at a small scale, a family crest would be used. Perfect for stamping on the silverware to show your pedigree!
It became the job of people called heralds to keep track of the different coats-of-arms. They made sure that each design was unique, and they also kept track as to whom each Family Arms belonged.
From Britannica: “In the second half of the 12th century the men who supervised festivities and delivered invitations to guests were often the same minstrels who, after tournaments and battles, extolled [sang the praises of] the virtues and deeds of the victors. Heralds can be identified in the descriptions of tournaments from about 1170. The duties of minstrels and messengers appear then to have merged, and, as the minstrels recounted the deeds and virtues of their masters and their masters’ ancestors, their interest in genealogy developed. That new skill was related to their tournament duties, which included the necessity to recognize the banners and shields of all those invited to attend”. In other words, somebody had to keep things sorted out.
Pictures of heralds from H. Ströhl’s Heraldischer Atlas. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).
By the 12th century, the use of the coat-of-arms had become much more common, and in the 13th-century family use of the coat-of-arms became common as the symbols had been passed down from ancestors in the previous centuries. Usually, the oldest son would often inherit the coat-of-arms from his father without any changes, while younger brothers often added symbols to make theirs unique. When a woman married, the coat-of-arms of her family was often added to her husband’s arms, called marshaling.
As families grew, the shield of the coat-of-arms was sometimes divided into different parts (e.g. quartered) to represent the merging of families (although this is not the only reason a shield might be divided). Even still, families would have to alter the Arms enough to distinguish it from prior generations. This is where it would become a Family Arms, the symbol for the family, instead of the symbol for an individual.
Even though this map by John Speed, dates from 1611, one can see that there was still a lot of heraldry going on. (Image courtesy of University of Cambridge Digital Library).
Cornish heraldry generally conformed with the rules and customs of English heraldry… however, the use of arms was far more widespread amongst the Cornish than the English and there was far less control over the use of heraldry. The writer Richard Carew wrote in the early 17th century, “The Cornish appear to change and diversify their arms at pleasure… The most Cornish gentlemen can better vaunt of their pedigree than their livelihood for that they derive from great antiquity, and I make question whether any shire in England of but equal quantitie can muster a like number of faire coate-armours”. Even back then, Carew was sniffing out the socially ambitious families.
This is why you will see several Arms for one surname or family, that can look only slightly different, or can look entirely different from each other.
Our cousins — the Bonds of Grange — and their Family Arms.
Notice in the above example of heraldry for The Bonds of Grange from A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I. The Coat-of-Arms for that particular family has been marshaled (four quadrants) and elements have been added to the top (the helm). If you look carefully, you can still see the chevron with the three bezants.
From The Story of The Bonds of Earth, by Allen Kerr Bond, Pegasus Press, 1930.
Notice in the example above how the Bond Coat-of-Arms has gotten a lot more decorated. There’s even a catchy motto added. This phrase is frequently translated from Latin as: The World Does Not Suffice, or The World Is Not Enough.
As the Bond family married, immigrated, and went on with their lives, it once again became fashionable (rather than a basic necessity) to have a family coat-of-arms. The trouble was, there were so many Bond families, and not a lot of widespread scholarship to support what designs went forward. There were no more heralds to manage who-really-was-who.
Even George Lazenby, in his only film as James Bond, got in on the act.
Film still from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
As we all know, James Bond always prevailed in his fight for good-versus-evil. (Even with that modern, exuberant coat-of-arms). That’s why we love him. (2)
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
Introduction: Hollywood Has Really Messed Things Up
For these six Sections listed below, all records are adapted from the links that follow:
Let’s Pause for a Moment to Look atSymbolic Thinking What is a Coat-of-Arms? Coat-of-Arms for the DeErth and Bonds of Erth Families What Did the Colors Mean? What is a Family Crest? The HeraldsWere Busy Bureaucrats…
An Historical Survey of the County of Cornwall: to which is added, a complete heraldry, by C. S. Gilbert, 1817 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/g68eerr8/items?canvas=9 Note 1: Book page: 30, Digital page: 30/441, for the Bond family historical text reference. Note 2: For two Coat-of-Arms, as follows: – Bond Coat-of-Arms, Plate VI (6) – De Erth Coat-of-Arms, Plate XIII (13) Note: This edition contains the heraldry bookplates.
(John Speed Map of Cornwall, 1611) University of Cambridge Digital Library The theatre of the empire of Great Britaine: presenting an exact geography of the kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland,… (Atlas.2.61.1) https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-ATLAS-00002-00061-00001/18
This is Chapter Two of seven: There’s a lot to write about! In this part, we will cover Our Earliest History up to and including Penryn, Cornwall, England.
Preface: Let’s Begin with Bond Street in London
Our parents were not world travelers. Outside of my father’s experiences as a World War II sailor in the Pacific Theater, and some trips to Ontario, Canada, they seemed to be the most comfortable traveling within the mainland USA. In 1988, I (Thomas) volunteered to be their chaperone if they would come to London for a week, to see some places involved with their family heritage. So they came.
We called our father “Pop”. Our parents were simply Mom and Pop.
Dean Phillip Bond in London, England, 1988. (Family photograph).
Pop had always embraced his Irish heritage; our Mom, her English roots. He desired to be All Things Irish, but that was truly only a part of him. For both of them, Britain itself played the largest role.
One day we found ourselves in the very posh Mayfair District, seeking out a place we had learned of — Bond Street. To our delight, we saw that there were actually two sections: Old Bond Street and New Bond Street. Pop stood on the old side, I stood on the new side, and we reached out and hugged each other. He was tickled pink.
— Thomas
Bond Street in the Mayfair District of London, England. (Image courtesy of wikipedia.org).
The story about London’s Bond Street is emblematic of how family histories are always about connecting the old with the new. The old path merges with the new path, both united, always following time’s arrow in one direction. By glancing backward, we seek to try and discern clues about our fleeting, ever-receding past.
Introduction: Our Ancient Origins
Located at the fringes of Europe, Britain received European technological and cultural developments much later than Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region did, during prehistory. By around 4000 BC, the island was populated by people with a Neolithic culture. No written language of the pre-Roman inhabitants of Britain is known; therefore, the history, culture and way of life of pre-Roman Britain are known mainly through archeological finds. This evidence demonstrates that ancient Britons were involved in extensive maritime trade and cultural links with the rest of Europe from the Neolithic onwards, especially by exporting tin that was in abundant supply.
Recent archeological evidence (based on measuring specific isotopes found in tin), has revealed that ancient tin ingots found in Israel — prove the metal was mined in Cornwall as long ago as 2000 BC. Through trade routes from thousands of years ago, these ingots ended up in the far eastern Meiterranean. There is some current controversy over whether the Phoenicians had ever reached Britain, and that is for others to settle. As always, new evidence sometimes takes a while to be accepted. They may have gotten there… certainly someone did. (1)
The earliest known reference to the inhabitants of Britain was by Pytheas, a Greek geographer who made a voyage of exploration around the British Isles between 330 and 320 BC.
Wikipedia, Pytheas of Massalia
Although none of his own writings remain, writers during the time of the Roman Empire made much reference to Britons. Pytheas called the people of Britain the Pretanoí or Bretanoí. Pliny’s Natural History (77 AD) says the older name for the island was Albion, and Avenius calls it insula Albionum, “island of the Albions”.
The Latin name for the Britons was Britanni. The last centuries before the Roman invasion saw an influx of Celtic speaking refugees from Gaul ,[modern-day description: generally where France meets Belgium], who were displaced as the Roman Empire expanded around 50 BC. They settled along most of the coastline of southern Britain between about 200 BC and 43 AD, although it is hard to estimate what proportion of the population they formed there. In the first century BC, Roman leader Julius Caesar reported that the Gauls called themselves ‘Celts’ — Thus whether it was given to them by others or not, it was used by the Celts themselves.
The southwest peninsular location of the Cornovii. (Image courtesy of Vividmaps.com).
In pre-Roman times, Cornwall was part of the kingdom of Dumnonia. The ancient Britons formed a series of tribes, cultures and identities: the Dumnonii and Cornovii were the Celtic tribes who inhabited what was to become Cornwall during the Iron Age, Roman, and post-Roman periods. The map above shows the Cornovii tribe in the southwest peninsula of “England”, the area now known as Cornwall.
The Cornovii, Who Become The Cornish People
The Sack of Rome in the year 410 prompted a complete Roman departure from Britain, and Cornwall then experienced an influx of Celtic Christian missionaries from Ireland who had a profound effect upon the early Cornish people, their culture, faith, and architecture. These first centuries after the Romans left are known as the age of the saints. The ensuing decline of the Roman Empire encouraged the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. The Angles, Jutes, Frisia, and Saxons, Germanic peoples from northern [mostly coastal] Europe, established petty kingdoms and settled in different regions of what was to become England, and parts of southern Scotland.
Historically, the Anglo-Saxon period denotes the period in Britain between about 450 and 1066. The early Anglo-Saxon period includes the creation of an English nation, of which many aspects still survive today, including regional government by shires and counties (also known as hundreds). During this period, Christianity was established and there was a flowering of literature and language. Charters and law were also established. The term Anglo-Saxon is popularly used for the language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons in England and southeastern Scotland from at least the mid-5th century until the mid-12th century. It is more commonly called Old English. (2)
The Norsemen, The Danes, and The Vikings
The Viking Age in Scandinavian history is recorded as the period from 793, the earliest record of the first Danish sea raids on England by Norsemen, lasting until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. At that time, the present day nations of Norway, Sweden and Denmark did not exist. Those who came to the British Isles have been generally referred to as Vikings [from Scandinavia]. However, some scholars debate whether the term Viking represented all settlers, or just those who raided England and other countries.
In the 700s, Frankish and English records of political, military, and economic interactions with the north, describe the Danes as one people ruled by a king, and Denmark as comprising the peninsula of Jutland, all the islands, and Scania (part of Sweden). A unified realm was initiated by King Harald I Fairhair in the 9th century. His efforts in unifying the petty kingdoms of Norway resulted in the first known Norwegian central government.
The Age of Viking Voyages. Notes the years indicated on the orange boxes. Bright green: territories, and bright blue: sailing routes. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org).
Sabine Baring-Gould writes in his Family Names and Their Meaning:
“It is now generally recognized that the name Bonde… (plural Bonder) was not originally a family name; but was the designation of a class of Norse landholders.
The old Norse Bonde was the man in highest position after the Earl. He was the free-holder responsible to none save the Earl. It was because [King] Harold Fairhair resolved on introducing the feudal tenure of land into Norway, that a great exodus of the Bonder took place; and they migrated and colonized Iceland and the Faroe Isles”.
Bonders emigrated to England from Scandinavian with, or as, Vikings. They may have arrived as early as the 800s and became landholders. They lived among the people and became “English”. At the onset of the Norman Conquest in 1066 they were initially overwhelmed in a common ruin with the Saxons and other tribes. However, not for long; within in a generation or two they adjusted to Norman rule, re-established themselves and began to identify by the old class title: Bond.
Observations: This establishes that the Bond name and its variations, was present throughout England in the centuries before the Norman Conquest, and that many of them were landholders during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is reasonable to assume that some of these Bond(ers) ended up in Cornwall.
The Anglo-Saxons referred to Cornwall as West Wales, to distinguish it from North Wales (modern-day Wales). The Saxons, of the Kingdom of Wessex, were expanding their territory westwards toward Cornwall. The Cornish were frequently embattled with the West Saxons, until King Athelstan of England, 927-939, determined that the River Tamar would become the formal boundary between the West Saxons and the Cornish in the year 936, making Cornwall one of the last retreats of the older Britons that encouraged the development of a distinct Cornish identity.
Arrival in England scene [39] from the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting ships grounding and horses landing. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org).
The Norman Conquest of England, which began with an invasion by the troops of William, Duke of Normandy (King William I of England) in 1066, resulted in the removal of the Anglo-Saxon derived monarchy, aristocracy, and clerical hierarchy. It was replaced by Normans, Scandinavian Vikings from northern France and their Breton allies where they maintained rule in the Brittonic-speaking parts of the conquered lands. England would come to absorb the Normans, but the Cornish (Cornwall) “vigorously resisted” their influence.
The Normans themselves were descendants of those Vikings who had been given feudal over-lordship of areas in northern France, namely the Duchy of Normandy, in the 10th century. In that respect, descendants of the Vikings continued to have an influence in northern Europe.
William the Conqueror, William I of England (circa 1028-1087). First Norman King of England (1066-1087), holding Battle Abbey, illuminated manuscript portrait painting by Matthew Paris circa 1250-1259. (Image courtesy of Alamy).
Edward The Confessor died in January 1066 after a reign of 23 years as King of England. Edward was childless and had no heir to the throne. After his death there were several claimants to the English throne. Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada, King of Norway and Duke William II of Normandy. William was a first cousin once-removed of Edward the Confessor. Harold Godwinson repelled Hardrada and claimed the throne for 282 days. Duke William II of Normandy invaded England and defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. He became William the Conqueror and King William I of England.
The Domesday Book
Oxford Reference defines the Domesday Book as “A survey of property in England conducted in 1086. Conceived by William I, but probably to some extent based on pre-Conquest administrative records. It was the most comprehensive assessment of property and land ever undertaken in medieval Europe. Its purpose was to maximize the revenues from the land tax…” The holdings / estates that became connected to the Bond families are mentioned in two places. Note: We have included these references to demonstrate that there were Bond, Bonde, Le Bonde, Bondi, Bondu etc., families present before the Norman invasion and that these families already had long histories in England.
The Domesday Book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants and serfs of medieval Norman England. It was compiled in 1086-7 under the orders of William the Conqueror (r. 1066-87).
The Domesday Book established that the “Bondi” (derived from Bonder) family in ª(the future Wiltshire county) were endowed with ancient land holdings. At that time the recognition of land ownership gave them rights and privileges that were excluded from most other people.
Domesday Book, Folio Wiltshire, page 17, is where we see the name Bondi specifically mentioned:
Fisherton-de-la-mere, Folio Wiltshire, page 17, Domesday Book
Domesday Book, Folio Wiltshire, page 10, is where the Fisherton estate (in Wilts) is specifically mentioned. Lord Roger DeCourseulles (also known as De Courcil) 1030-1121, came to England with William The Conqueror in 1066. In this Folio he is identified as the tenant in chief of Fisherton Delaware, Wiltshire, England. The Lord of Fisherton was surnamed Bondi. Lord Roger’s second son, Hugh Fitz Roger married the Bondi sister and heiress. Upon this marriage their offspring assumed the Bondi name. Note: From Lord Roger’s first son, John de Curichil, the family line eventually leads to Sir Winston Churchill.
Fisherton [Anger], Folio Wiltshire, page 10, Domesday Book
In Cornwall, the Domesday Survey identified that the major landholders were King William I, his half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain and the Bishop of Exeter of Tavistock Abbey. (3)
Slavery, The Feudal System, and the Manor System
Throughout Europe, wartime captives were commonly forced into slavery — something that remained true for the people captured during Viking raids. As European kingdoms transitioned to feudal societies, serfdom began to replace slavery as the main economic and agricultural engine. From Slavery to Tenant Farming — “In England, slaves (or slave families) are recorded at the village level in the Domesday Book (1086). If counted as heads of households, the c. 28,000 slaves made up just over ten percent of the recorded population. In general, slavery was more prevalent in southwest England than in the east of England.” English Christians nominally discontinued owning slaves after the 1066 conquest. It is difficult to be certain about slave numbers, however, since the old Roman word for slave (servus) continued to be applied to unfree people whose status later was reflected by the term serf.
The system of having slaves gave way to the feudal system. It is most assured that our ancestors of the High Middle Ages worked under the feudal system.
From Western European Feudalism — Establishing Order: “By the High Middle Ages… feudalism was completely developed and the Europeans benefited from it. Feudalism established a strong social order that provided protection and safety. Under feudalism, Europeans were linked to each other with promises which helped both parties, up and down in the hierarchy. The feudal system was just like an ecosystem – without one level, the entire system would fall apart. The hierarchies were formed of four main parts: Monarchs, Lords/Ladies (Nobles), Knights, and Peasants/Serfs. Each of the levels depended on each other on their everyday lives.”
From Wikipedia.org — “The classic version of feudalism describes a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations which existed among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs. In broad terms, a lord was a noble who held land, a vassal was a person who was granted possession of the land by the lord, and the land was known as a fief. In exchange for the use of the fief and protection by the lord, the vassal would provide some sort of service to the lord,” [such as tenant farming, and military service].
Penhallam Manor, with an example of a a 13th century manor house inner courtyard. (Image courtesy of English Heritage, see footnotes).
The feudal system slowly morphed into “manorialism”. Again, from Wikipedia.org — “Manorialism, also known as the manor system, was the method of land ownership in parts of Europe, notably England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes fortified manor house in which the lord of the manor and his dependents lived and administered a rural estate, and a population of labourers who worked the surrounding land to support themselves and the lord. Manorialism is sometimes included as part of the feudal system.” (4)
The Bond Family Surname
As explained in the section The Norsemen, The Danes, and The Vikings, the Bond family name has its origins in a class of landholders originally from Scandinavia who settled in England. As a consequence of the Norman Invasion and the purging of Anglo-Saxon culture, some Bond families (through good fortune) retained their land. Some had already transitioned to the use of surnames, which eventually came to be recognized through heraldry.
Sabine Baring-Gould: (An apt example) “Richard, the Bonde immigrant settler, became Richard Bonde [landowner], as the terror of the Norman rule relaxed. The completeness of the catastrophe of the Conquest may be perceived by the total and permanent disappearance of Saxon and Norse personal names.”
Throughout the records and rolls of the 12th and 13th centuries we find [that] all our personal names are Norman. The Saxon seems almost extinct. This lament applies with full force to the Bonds of Cornwall. Thomas, William, Richard, Henry, [and] John repeat themselves generation after generation. …this compliance with Norman custom was really due to a contempt for everything pre-Conquest…
Sabine Baring-Gould, Family Names And Their Story
Ancestry.com also has a good summation of the origins the Bond surname — English: status name for a peasant farmer or husbandman, Middle English bonde (Old English bonda, bunda, reinforced by Old Norse bóndi). The Old Norse word was also in use as a personal name, and this has given rise to other English and Scandinavian surnames alongside those originating as status names.
Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962). Definitely not a peasant farmer: So, who’s your favorite Bond?
From A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I, provides two relevant (but unattributed) references. The first follows:
“Mr. Bond has an old MS. pedigree on vellum, dated 1636, which deduces their descent from a Norman, who came in at the Conquest, and married the daughter and heiress of Bond, of Penrynin Cornwall: and in Andersen’s pedigree, of Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, we find that Hugh Fitz Roger, second son of Roger de Council, (a follower of William the Conqueror, and who obtained from him extensive estates in Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and Wiltshire, as appears by Domesday ) [circa 1086-1087], espousing the sister and heiress, lord of Fisherton, their offspring assumed the surname and arms of that family, viz sa fess or, and hence came the family of Bond. This Bond (or Bondi as he is called in the Domesday book) appears to have been a Saxon, and is mentioned in that record as holding Fisherton in Wilts, as well as other lordships in Dorset and Somerset, as early as the time of Edward the Confessor.”
Observation:In the first sentence Roger De Courcil is marrying the daughter and heiress of Bond in Penryn, Cornwall. In Collins’s Peerage of England, Roger De Courcil wedded Gertruda, daughter of Sir Guy de Torbay. Then the mention of Hugh Fitz Roger marrying a sister and heiress of Fisherton and taking on the Bondi surname. All of the historical documents we have discovered, go back-and-forth in time with their references. As such, “what happened when and to whom” from a thousand years ago, can get a little cloudy. (5)
The Emerging Bond Family Lineage in Cornwall and Wilts
Our research has led us to believe that our Bond family line originates to a large extent, in Penryn, Cornwall, England. Cornwall was a distinct and to a great extent, separate part of the kingdom. In 1485, Polydore Vergil, the Italian cleric commissioned by King Henry VII to write a history of England, wrote that “The whole country of Britain is divided into four parts, whereof the one is inhabited by Englishmen, the other of Scots, the third of Welshmen, the fourth of Cornish people … and which all differ among themselves either in tongue, either in manners, or else in laws and ordinances.”
The ancient town of Penryn. (Image courtesy of Cornish Studies Resources).
Penryn is one of Cornwall’s most ancient towns, located on the southwest coast of Cornwall. The town first appears in the Domesday Book under the name of Trelivel, and was named Penryn in 1216 by the Bishop of Exeter. It was once an important harbor, handling granite and tin, trade to be shipped to other parts of the country and the world, during the medieval period. We don’t know what our Penryn ancestors did for their living over the centuries. It seems likely that some of them could have been engaged (in some form) with the acquisition and refinement of tin.
At the time that our early Bonds lived there, Penryn was administered by the Bishop of Exeter. He had a manor house and our ancestors most likely were among the people who supported his manor through both trade and tax. (6)
The Two Centuries After William The Conqueror
Two years after the Norman Conquest, in 1068, there was a rebellion in the Southwest (Cornwall), causing King William I, to order that castles be built there. At this time, the Manor of Trematon was in the hands of William’s half-brother Robert, the Count of Mortain. Robert chose for his castle a site about 1-1/2 miles southeast of Trematon village, overlooking the Lynher estuary. The original castle defenses consisted of earthworks and timber palisades — it was built upon the Roman ruins of an earlier fort. Four Norman castles were built in east Cornwall at different periods, at Launceston, Trematon, Restormel, and Tintagel.
Trematon Castle on the River Lynher, from Magna Britannia, Vol. III, Cornwall, circa 1814. (Image courtesy of Archive.org).
Trematon Castle became the administrative center for the area, and Robert, (the Count) soon founded and promoted a weekly market outside the castle’s gate. This functioned administratively to focus the population on him charitably. In 1075, Robert ceded the Manor of Trematon to Richard de Valletort, a Norman knight who had fought at the Battle of Hastings.
From the Battle Abbey Roll:
The Battle Abbey Roll , page 138.
Observation: We do not know with certainty if these ancients Bond(s) were Saxon, or Norman, or perhaps a bit of both.
The following text is taken directly from A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I — “The family of Bond were of great antiquity in the county of Cornwall and are said to have been originally seated at Penryn in that county, but removed thence, at a very early period, to Earth, in the parish of St. Stephens, [near Trematon Castle] an estate they acquired in marriage with the daughter and heiress of a very ancient house, which took its name from that place.” (7)
Our Bond Penryn Ancestors
We have tried to give a bit of history of the possible origins of Bonds in England. However, we do not have documented records of Bonds until we learn of Robert Bond marrying Elizabeth de Erth in Saltash, Cornwall about 1400. Below are some references to Bonds found in family trees in Ancestry and/or Family Search. Without actual source material it is difficult to know the exact nature of our early ancestors.
The early Penryn ancestors (without sources) are listed below interspersed with important historical points:
1. John Le Bond I, born est. 1220
Observations: John LeBond is generally recognized as the progenitor of the Bond family line in Cornwall, but there are almost no verifiable records of him. It is interesting to note that his surname begins with ‘Le’. Could this be a Norman influence? Interestingly, in the Cornish language there is a word Laë , which means “High”. Perhaps Le Bond was a designation of high status?
1258: Grant to Bishop of Exeter for a market and fair at Penryn. “The granting of the right to hold markets and fairs was a very significant development for any town in the medieval period; they provided the underpinning for the economy of the town and brought trade in from the surrounding countryside.”
2. Gnu Le Bond est. 1250 – 1307, (A son with a curious name… Obviously the name is transcribed from some ancient name which we do not have reference to.)
1265: Glasney College was founded at Penryn by the Bishop of Exeter.On completion this fortified residence housed 26 clerics with its own church, domestic quarters, refectory, chapter house, mills, and cemetery. It was subsequently destroyed during the Reformation.
3. John Le Bond II est. 1280-1340, married toMnu 1285-1345 (What a name! — perhaps her name could be Mary?).
4. Richard of Penryn Bond est. 1300-1350, Penryn, Cornwall, married Sarah, Lady Bragham, est. 1300 -1330, Penryn, Cornwall.
1315-1317: Total failure of the harvest in Cornwall through bad weather. In Europe, climate change leads to the Great Famine.
5. Richard II of Penryn Bond est. 1330-1380, Penryn, Cornwall
The Black Death (or “Great Pestilence”) reached Cornwall 1349, almost certainly by a ship, peaking in 1350-51 and breaking-out again in 1352. Estimates suggest that towns in Cornwall such as Truro and Bodmin lost half of their populations.
6. John of Penryn Bond est. 1350-1400, Penryn, Cornwall England, married to Mary, dates unknown.
1360-1362: Second outbreak of The Black Death in Cornwall lasting to 1362.
After this period, we have records which indicate that Robert Bond est. 1375 – about 1434, relocated east to Erth, Saltash to marry Elizabeth deErth. Erth (Earth) is the area near Tremanton Castle and Plymouth Sound. Subsequent posts will show, that our Cornwall family history will move through: Penryn > Erth > Holwood > London to America. (8)
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
Map from The Times of Israel: Tin deposits on the Eurasian continent and distribution of tin finds in the area studied dating from 2500-1000 BCE. The arrow does not indicate the actual trade route but merely illustrates the assumed origin of the Israeli tin based on the data. (Credit: Berger et al. 2019; Prepared by Daniel Berger)
Vivid Maps Roman Britain Explained in Maps Britain and Ireland just before the Roman invasion (10 AD) https://vividmaps.com/roman-britain/ Note: Scroll down, and the entry is found in the Comments section, as submitted under the name Chaplin.
The Cornovii, Who Become The Cornish People and The Norsemen, The Danes, and The Vikings
The Domesday Book (as illustrated) by William Andrews, circa 1900, from “Historic Byways and Highways of Old England” (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org).
“This Bond (or Bondi as he is called in the Domesday book) appears to have been a Saxon, and is mentioned in that record as holding Fisherton in Wilts…” The two estates of ‘Fisherton’ in Wiltshire are mentioned in these folios, as follows:
Magna Brittanica, Being a Concise Topographical Account of the Several Counties of Great Britain, Volume The Third by Rev. Daniel Lysons and Samuel Lysons, Esq., 1814 by Daniel Lysons and Samuel Lysons https://archive.org/details/b22012369_0002/page/288/mode/1up Digital page: 671/800 (for the Trematon Castle on the River Lynher illustration)
Our Ancestors, Our Narratives 