Mortimer
Encyclopedia
- For Mortimer in Berkshire, see Mortimer CommonMortimer CommonMortimer Common, generally referred to as Mortimer, is a village in the civil parish of Stratfield Mortimer in Berkshire. Mortimer is in the local government district of West Berkshire and is seven miles south-west of Reading.-Geography:...
. For the town in Shropshire, see Cleobury MortimerCleobury MortimerCleobury Mortimer is a small rural market town in Shropshire, England. The town's parish has a population of 1,962 according to the 2001 census. Although sometimes regarded as a village, it is in fact the second smallest town in Shropshire , having been granted a town charter in 1253.Several...
. For the Disney character, see Mortimer MouseMortimer MouseMortimer Mouse is a cartoon character created by Walt Disney and used in Walt Disney films and stories. He has been presented as both the uncle of Minnie Mouse, and later presented as an unrelated mouse who was Mickey's rival for Minnie's affections. Mickey Mouse was first going to be named Mortimer...
. For the place in California, see Mortimer, CaliforniaMortimer, CaliforniaMortimer is a former settlement in Butte County, California, United States. It was located northeast of Oroville. A post office operated in Mortimer from 1880 to 1881....
.
Mortimer is a popular English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name, used both as a surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
and a given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
.
Norman origins
The origin of the name is almost certainly NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, but the details are disputed.
One version is that it derives from "Mortemer", site of the Cistercian Abbaye de Mortemer
Abbaye de Mortemer
Mortemer Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Forest of Lyons between the present Lyons-la-Forêt and Lisors, some southeast of Rouen in the department of Eure. It is located on the territory of the commune of Lisors....
at Lisors
Lisors
Lisors is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.Mortemer Abbey is located on the territory of the commune.-Population:-References:*...
near Lyons-la-Forêt
Lyons-la-Forêt
Lyons-la-Forêt is a commune in the Eure department in Haute Normandie in northern France.Because of its architecture which has been maintained as it was at the beginning of the 17th century, it is also a well-known landmark within the very distinct geophysical and geocultural entity that is the end...
and close to Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The land was granted to the Cistercians by Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
in the 1180s. Finding the land to be a marshy-land of the Lyons Forest around the running Fouillebroc Stream, the monks dug out a large drainage lake and built the Abbaye de Mortemer
Abbaye de Mortemer
Mortemer Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Forest of Lyons between the present Lyons-la-Forêt and Lisors, some southeast of Rouen in the department of Eure. It is located on the territory of the commune of Lisors....
. The ruins and lake can still be visited, and the later 16th century Abbey hosts tours.
There are two possible explanations: first, a small pond must have already existed before the land was given to the monks and have already called Mortemer like the two other Mortemer, because the word mer 'pond' was not used anymore beyond the Xth century. This word is only attested in North-Western France and of Frankish or Saxon origin mari / meri 'mereMere (lake)Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...
', 'lake' (in CambremerCambremerCambremer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:...
, Blingemer, etc..); mort(e) 'dead' is also quite common to mean 'stagnant' (in Port-MortPort-MortPort-Mort is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Population:-External links:*...
'the port with stagnant water', MorteauMorteauMorteau is a commune, in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Geography:This little city is situated in a widening of the Doubs river valley....
'dead water', etc.). Second, the monks could have given the name Mortemer to their drainage lake to remember the other MortemerMortemer, Seine-MaritimeMortemer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small forestry and farming village situated in the valley of the river Eaulne in the Pays de Bray, some southeast of Dieppe at the junction of the D7, D36 and the D929 roads...
for any kind of reason we don't know, making a pun at the same time with Mer Morte 'Dead SeaDead SeaThe Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
'.
The village of Mortemer
Mortemer, Seine-Maritime
Mortemer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small forestry and farming village situated in the valley of the river Eaulne in the Pays de Bray, some southeast of Dieppe at the junction of the D7, D36 and the D929 roads...
further north in the Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
area bears the same name and it predates the Abbey at Lisors of more than one hundred years.
Another version, which appears at least as far back the Elizabethan Era
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
, attributes the name to a Norman Knight who fought in the crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
and was distinguished in battle by the shores of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
, but this is unsubstantiated and almost certainly a romanticised myth.
Medieval magnates
In the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the Mortimers were a powerful magnate family or dynasty of Marcher Lords
Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
, centered around Wigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, and from the 14th century holding the title of Earl of March
Earl of March
The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...
.
Close to the throne of England
Through marriage, the Mortimers came during the reign of Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
to be close to the English throne, but when Richard II was deposed in 1399, the claims of the Mortimers were ignored and the throne vested in the usurper
Usurper
Usurper is a derogatory term used to describe either an illegitimate or controversial claimant to the power; often, but not always in a monarchy, or a person who succeeds in establishing himself as a monarch without inheriting the throne, or any other person exercising authority unconstitutionally...
Henry of Lancaster
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
instead. The Mortimer claims were later (1425) transmitted to the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
, which ultimately claimed them in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
.
Successive Mortimers
Members of the noble Mortimer family included:- Ranulph de MortimerRanulph de MortimerRanulph I de Mortimer of Mortemer-sur-Eaulne, was a Marcher Lord from the Montgomery lands in the Welsh Marches. In England, he was Lord of Wigmore in Herefordshire. In Normandy, he was the Seigneur of St. Victor-en-Caux. Ranulph was the founder of the English House of Mortimer of Wigmore...
, Lord of Wigmore CastleWigmore CastleWigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
in HerefordshireHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Seigneur of St. Victor-en-Caux, today Saint-Victor-l'AbbayeSaint-Victor-l'AbbayeSaint-Victor-l’Abbaye is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, some south of Dieppe at the junction of the D57, D3 and the D929 roads...
, Seine-MaritimeSeine-MaritimeSeine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
, Haute-NormandieHaute-NormandieUpper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions... - Hugh de MortimerHugh de MortimerHugh de Mortimer was a Norman English medieval baron.- Lineage :The son of Hugh de Mortimer , the son of Ralf de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle, Cleobury Mortimer and at times, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle and Maelienydd.- Anarchy :During the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign, Mortimer was...
, Lord of Wigmore CastleWigmore CastleWigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :... - Roger Mortimer of WigmoreRoger Mortimer of WigmoreRoger de Mortimer was a medieval marcher lord, residing at Wigmore Castle in the English county of Herefordshire.He was the son of Hugh de Mortimer and Matilda Le Meschin. He was born before 1153.-Early life:...
- Ralph de MortimerRalph de MortimerRanulph or Ralph de Mortimer was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire...
- Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer
- Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer
- Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March
- Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March
- Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March
- Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March
- Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March
- Thomas Mortimer, of Toton
- Edmund Mortimer, son of the 3rd EarlEdmund Mortimer, son of the 3rd EarlEdmund Mortimer , was the second son of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March by his wife Philippa Plantagenet, and is the best-known of the various Edmund Mortimers because of his role in the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr...
, fought with Owain GlyndŵrOwain GlyndwrOwain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
and plotted with Henry Hotspur Percy, to depose King Henry IV of EnglandHenry IV of EnglandHenry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and divide the Kingdom of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in three.
Other people
- Bob MortimerBob MortimerRobert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
, English comedian - Carole MortimerCarole MortimerCarole Mortimer is a popular British writer of over 150 romance novels since 1978. She was one of Mills & Boon's youngest authors, and now is one of their most popular and prolific authors.-Biography:...
, English novelist - Chris MortimerChris MortimerChris Mortimer is an Australian former professional rugby league player for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Penrith Panthers, New South Wales and for the Australian national side....
Australian Rugby League player - Daniel MortimerDaniel MortimerDaniel Mortimer is an Australian professional rugby league player. He currently plays for Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League and previously played for the Parramatta Eels. He is the son of former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Australian Rugby League player Peter Mortimer...
Australian Rugby League player - Emily MortimerEmily MortimerEmily Kathleen A. Mortimer is an English actress. She began performing on stage, and has since appeared in several film and television roles, including Scream 3, Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl, and Shutter Island....
, English actor - Favell Lee MortimerFavell Lee MortimerFavell Lee Mortimer, born Favell Lee Bevan was an English Evangelical author of educational books for children.- Life :...
, author of Reading Without Tears and Far Away - Gary MortimerGary MortimerGary Mortimer Hot air balloon Pilot and current holder of the South African Hot Air Balloon Altitude record. The record was set on 9 May 2005 when he flew to an altitude of with DJ Lev David, on a flight in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.He is currently living in the KwaZulu Natal...
, English aeronaut - Ian Mortimer (historian)Ian Mortimer (historian)Ian Mortimer is a British historian. He was educated at Eastbourne College, the University of Exeter and University College London . Between 1993 and 2003 he worked for several major research institutions, including the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, and the universities of Exeter...
, British writer - James Mortimer (athlete)James Mortimer (athlete)James Mortimer is a New Zealand hurdler. He competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where he was a member of the New Zealand 4 x 100m relay team. He is the national record holder over the 100m hurdles. -Personal bests:-External links:...
, New Zealand hurdler - John MortimerJohn MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
, English barrister - Peter Mortimer (disambiguation), multiple people
- Steve MortimerSteve MortimerSteve Mortimer OAM, , nicknamed Turvey after Turvey Park in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, where he hailed from, is an Australian former rugby league halfback. Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown club record 272 first grade games between 1976–88. Mortimer's two younger brothers Peter and Chris...
Australian Rugby League player - Tinsley MortimerTinsley Mortimer-Early life:Mortimer was born in Virginia. and grew up in Richmond, VA. Her father is George Riley Mercer Jr., a real-estate investor, and her mother is Dale Mercer , an interior designer. Her paternal grandfather, George Riley Mercer Sr., founded Mercer Rug Cleansing in 1936...
, American socialite - John B. MortimerJohn B. MortimerJohn Barry Mortimer, GBS is a senior judge in Hong Kong.-Judicial career:Mortimer is one of the non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.-References:...
, Hong Kong judge - Mortimer Wheeler, British Archaeologist
In fiction
- Mortimer, a Robert MunschRobert MunschRobert Norman Munsch, CM is an American-born Canadian children's author.-Personal life and career:Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
character and story - Mortimer, a fictional criminal in Italian comic book ZagorZagorZagor is an Italian comic book created by editor and writer Sergio Bonelli and artist Gallieno Ferri. Zagor was first published In Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961.-Character:...
- Mortimer Goth, a well known character from The SimsThe SimsThe Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
series - Mortimer MouseMortimer MouseMortimer Mouse is a cartoon character created by Walt Disney and used in Walt Disney films and stories. He has been presented as both the uncle of Minnie Mouse, and later presented as an unrelated mouse who was Mickey's rival for Minnie's affections. Mickey Mouse was first going to be named Mortimer...
, a fictional Disney character - Mortimer Brewster, main character in Arsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old Lace may refer to:*Arsenic and Old Lace , by Joseph Kesselring*Arsenic and Old Lace , a 1944 film adaptation directed by Frank Capra...
- Philip Mortimer, a protagonist in Blake and MortimerBlake and MortimerBlake and Mortimer is a Belgian comics series created by the Belgian writer and comics artist Edgar P. Jacobs. It was one of the first series to appear in the Belgian comics magazine Tintin in 1946, and was subsequently published in book form by Les Editions du Lombard.The main protagonists of the...
, a Belgian comics series created by Edgar P. Jacobs - Mortimer, the eponymous protagonist of Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's novel MortMortMort is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the fourth Discworld novel and the first to focus on the Death of the Discworld, who only appeared as a side character in the previous novels... - Mortimer Scharf, decrepit driver of the vehicle Shadow in Twisted Metal: Head On
- Mortimer Ichabod Marker, character in Bill Cosby's "Picture PagesPicture Pages"Picture Pages" is an educational television segment aimed at preschool children, teaching lessons on basic arithmetic, geometry, and drawing through a series of interactive lessons that used a workbook that viewers would follow along with the lesson....
" - Mortimer, the Grim Reaper, with its origin in the Latin word morti (to die)
- Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a character played by Lee Van CleefLee Van CleefLee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
in For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain...
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