Dunning de Lathom, Earl of Lathom

Sir Dunning de Lathom, 1st Earl of Lathom. In the Spring of 1067 A.D. Born: Abt.1031, In what was then Saxon, England.

Married Lady Marigard de Essex of Essex & Avon on 28 May 1068, Chapelry of Lathom, Lathom, Lancashire, England.

Died: 12 Oct 1092, Lathom House, Lancashire, England. Interred: Chapelry of Lathom Cemetery, Lathom, Lancashire England.

He is the earliest known Lathom and the first to bear the Lathom surname was a Saxon individual living in the county of Lancashire, England. He was named Dunning de Lathom; Some call him a traitor to his people, for he collaborated with the Normans during their invasion in 1066. Perhaps he didn't have much of a choice in the matter; it could be his family or the entire town would be put to the sword if he didn't assist the Normans. We'll never know, for it was not recorded to my knowledge. For assisting the Normans they gave Dunning the Lordship of the Chapelry of Lathom, Lathom house and its' surrounds, (the town of Lathom itself would later become a part of Ormskirk, Lancashire, England).

From Miscellanea Palatina, 1850:

Dunning, father of Siward, the earliest proprietor named in this Inquisition, would be coeval with Domesday. It is not quite certain whether the Lalune of that Survey, situated between Ribble and Mersey in Derby Hundred,' relates to Lathom (Ladhun), nor whether Dunning was a continued possessor or a Norman grantee, but his name, which was the name also of the Lord of Kingsleyin Cheshire, a Saxon suffered to continue, marks his race.

According to this- http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/Latham.html he may have been the son of Ughtred by Elgifu.

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http://www.gurganus.org/ourfamily/browse.cfm?fid=34022

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View Tree for Dunning DE LATHOMDunning DE LATHOM (b. ABT 1031, d. October 12, 1092)
Dunning DE LATHOM597, 598, 599, 600, 601 was born ABT 1031 in Saxon, England602, 603, and died October 12, 1092 in Lathom House, Lathom, Lancashire, England604, 605. He married Marigard De ESSEX on May 28, 1068 in The Chapelry of Lathom, Lathom, Lancashire, England606, 607, 608, daughter of Raulph De ESSEX and Marian STROUD.

Includes NotesNotes for Dunning DE LATHOM: His surname has been spelled variously as: LATHOM, De LATHOM, LATHOME,De LATHOME, LATHAM, and DE LATHAM. He has also been listed as Dunningof Saxon or as Lord Dunning of Saxon.

• Sir Dunning was a traitor to his Saxon heritage and wasappointed by the Norman invaders as the first Norman Lord of Lathom.He was given the lordship of the Chapelry of Lathom and its'surrounds. The Lathom House, the Chapelry of Lathom and even the townof Lathom itself would later become a part of the city of Ormskirk,Lancashire, England. (1), (2) He and his wife, Lady Marigard De Essexare from the 2nd generation in an unbroken line of 35 generations.They share this distinction with Lord Henry De Chester, Jr. and hiswife, Lady Helene Tudor. He died of pneumonia.
• The original meaning of the place name Lathom or Latham was thebarn house', which probably meant a warehouse or storehouse. The 2earliest place names were the Chapelry of Lathom, in County Lancaster,England; and Latham, in Yorkshire, England.(1) , (3)
• The first one to bear the Latham surname was a Saxon traitornamed Dunning, who was living in County Lancashire about the time ofthe Norman conquest in 1066 A.D. Because of his collaboration withthe Normans and his betrayal of his Saxon heritage, the Normansrewarded Dunning with the lordship of the Chapelry of Lathom, thetitle of Earl, and with a knighthood. Thus Dunning, traitor to theSaxon people; became Sir Dunning Latham, Earl of Lathom in the Springof 1067 A.D. (1), (2)
• In both early English and American records, the surname ofLatham or Lathom has taken on many different spellings. The mostcommon of these are: Latham, Lathem, Lathim, Lathom, Lathome, Lathum,Laytham, Leatham, Leathom, Leetham, Leethem, Lethem, and Lethom. (1),(3)
• The probable reason for these various spellings is the fact thatso many of our early ancestors could neither read nor write. Wheneverit was necessary for a name to be written down by someone who could read and write, it was sounded outby different people differently and over the years as literacyimproved, the wrong spellings had become the traditional way thevarious families chose to spell it. (1)
• The spelling Latham is the one that is the most common usage andis surely the original spelling. In early English history, 7 distinctclans of Lathams emerged and could be found in the following counties:Lancaster, which was Sir Dunnings direct decendants; York, Somerset,Chester, Essex, Worchester, Cambridge and in London. (1)
• Over the years the Latham family has been very prolific, and manyof them produced very large families indeed! The average sized Lathamfamily has been between 7 to 10 children. Early families have beenfounded both by landed gentry and by the lower landless classesreferred to as yeoman. (1)

(1) Roots Research Ltd., The Name and Family of Latham, 1982, Page 2 (2) The Antiquities of Lancaster, 1869, by Gregson (3) A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, 1968, by Bardsley,Page 470

Sir Dunning was a traitor to his Saxon heritage and was appointed bythe Norman invaders as the first Norman Lord of Lathom. He and hiswife, Lady Marigard De Essex are from the 2nd generation in anunbroken line of 35 generations. They share this distinction withLord Henry De Chester, Jr. and his wife, Lady Helene Tudor. He diedof pneumonia.

Note by Merv S Latham 8 September 1998.

I had no record of Dunning prior to receiving information from DonLatham. He died of pneumonia.

The Lathom House, the Chapelry of Lathom, and the town of Lathomitself would later become a part of the city of Ormskirk, Lancashire,England.

Note by Merv Latham 5/1/1999

In the book "The House of Latham - A History" the question was leftopen as to whether the area known as Latham could have been at onetime in Yorkshire, i.e., going back to the days of the Vikings.Something of this nature appears to have been possible frominformation in an email from Karen Fraser, kmfraser@pacificcoast.netand distributed on LATHAM-L@rootsweb.com by Don LathamlathamDRLatham91@aol.com.

The Lathom House, the Chapelry of Lathom, and the town of Lathomitself would later become a part of the city of Ormskirk, Lancashire,England. The Lathom Family Crest is "A pelican on her nest." The Lathom Coatsof Arms is "Or, on a chief indented azure, three plates." WhenDunning was made Lord of Lathom, he was given the lordship "of theChapelry of Lathom and its surrounds." These surrounds included thetown of Lathom and the Lathom House.

More About Dunning DE LATHOM: Burial: October 14, 1092, Chapelry of Lathom, Lathom, Lancashire, England.609, 610 Occupation: Knight/1st Lord of Lathom.611, 612, 613

More About Dunning DE LATHOM and Marigard De ESSEX: Marriage: May 28, 1068, The Chapelry of Lathom, Lathom, Lancashire, England.614, 615, 616

Children of Dunning DE LATHOM and Marigard De ESSEX are:

   +Siward Fitz Dunning DE LATHOM, b. July 4, 1073, Lathom House, Lathom, Lancashire, England617, 618, d. January 9, 1094/95, Lathom House, Lathom, Lancashire, England619,   

• http://www.geocities.ws/foxfire_55811/flbgenealogy/latha001.html