(first published in 'Suffolk Roots', May 1992)

My father collected variations on the spelling of the family name that he had found in registers in Suffolk. The list (not necessarily complete) is as follows:

Lummes, Lumus, Lummas, Lummase, Lummax, Lumas, Lumms, Limmax, Lumnes, Lunnis, Lunys, Lumox, Lomys, Lumes, Lovenes, Louenes, Lownes, Lunys, Lammis, Lannis, Louness, Louneis, Lumnis, Lumis etc.

 The one 1 have found most significant is the spelling "Lovenes". At first sight this appears unlikely to be connected with Lummis. But there is more than one occurrence in Registers that establishes clearly that the two different spellings refer to the same person. Moreover subsequent entries confirm the name Lummis or near variations. Further thought makes one realise that the change is not so fanciful. The expression "lummy" or "Lor lummy" has been held to have its origin in the expression "Lord Love me".

"A Dictionary of British Surnames" by P. H. Reaney 2nd edition with corrections and additions by R. M. Wilson (Routledge & Kegan Paul: reprinted 1987) disappointingly lumps Lummis and Lummus in with Lomax. 1 would not want to quarrel with the derivation of Lomax from the Saxon "Lumhalghs" a place near Bolton, Lancashire. But I prefer to rely on Partridge that wel1 known Suffolk personality and genealogist who did so much to transcribe Registers in Suffolk in the '30s and thus lay the foundations of the records now available in the Suffolk Record Offices. He wrote on 22 Feb.1931 to my father: "Of course Lomax is quite a different name" and again later in the year: "Enclosed extracts from Bildestone registry give another instance of Lovenesse alias Lumnis alias Lovenes etc. The ness suffix indicates a place-name with the A.S. ness. a promontory, a headland. Early forms of love appear as lof or luf .

Having recently looked at the IGI, I note that this too lists Lummis under Lomax. This could be American influence as the Loomis Families of America which is concerned with collecting information about those bearing the name Loomis, Lummis, Lomax etc. believes that all are descended from a family which first adopted the name spelt as Lomax at Bolton, Lancashire in the 12th or 13th century.
This belief arose from research carried out by a Dr. Elias Loomis a professor at Yale in the previous century based largely on the prevalence of the name Lomas and Lomax in and around Manchester. However those who bear the name Loomis, Lummis and Lummus in America can almost all trace their origin back to two immigrants to New England in 1635 and 1638. Both came from Braintree or nearby, Edward Lumis of Bocking settled in Ipswich, Mass. in 1635 and was the ancestor of the many named Lummis ant Lummus in the USA. His cousin Joseph Lummys from Braintree travelled in the ship 'Susan and Ellen' and settled in Windsor, Conn. in 1638. From him can be traced those in America who spell the name Loomis. Any connection with Lancashire is highly conjectural.

Another origin of the name has been given by Dr. E. W. Lummis DD who traces his family from Great Yarmouth from the 16th century. He believed his ancestor came to Harwich from Lommis near Zurich in Switzerland about 1450 after the civil wars there when the Count of Lommis was killed. Again this is very conjectural.

The earliest reference to the name in Suffolk I have found is in 1354 charter granting tenements in Ipswich to a John Lammesse. From 1458 to 1674 there are numerous references to a family based on villages from Yoxford to Swefling with names variously spelt as Lumnys, Louneis, Lownes, Lonney, Lundnes, Lunnis etc. Similar names occur in Aldeburgh. Dunwich and Butley in this period. It is possible that all these are variations on Londonensis (i.e. of London). Subsidy lists of 1524 show Rob Lovenes of Brockford and John Louenes of Plomesgate (Bruisyard). The Mendlesham Registers show that there was a family named Lovenes from 1562 onwards. About 1560 there were living in Lavenham two brothers William and Richard Lummys. There were a lot of the name Lummis living in Suffolk and nearby Essex in the 16th century and probably earlier and I continue to doubt any connection with Lancashire.

 Contributed by Lt. Col. Eric T.Lummis

© Suffolk Family History Society and Lt. Col. Eric T. Lummis                Suffolk Roots is the quarterly journal of the Suffolk Family History Society