Dumbreck

This very unusual name is not apparently recorded in England before the early 18th Century, in the current spelling. However research indicates that the "modern" spelling is a development, probably as a result of dialect, from the medieval "Dumbred", itself a developed form of the Old English "Dumel-broc". This translates as the stream (broc) in the hills (Dumel), and it is probable that such a place once existed, although where in the Britain is not known. The early name recordings include Thomas Dumbreake christened at St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, London on April 28th 1730, and Mary Dumbreak, christened at St. John the Baptist on July 14th 1734, also in London. Other spellings include Dambrick, Dumbrack and Dumbreck. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Dumbrack, which was dated April 21st 1714, a witness at St. Botolphs without Aldgave London, during the reign of Queen Anne, "The Last Stuart Monarch", 1702 - 1714. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.