I've received some interesting mail over the past year (concerning the Cummins family name) that I let the family blog collect dust. This was a particularly interesting one, it concerns the origins of the Cumming family, Robert (de) Comines and the Campdevine family; I thought some you might enjoy reading it.

I'll make sure that I update the family page to reflect this, but for now, I thought I should save it here for posterity as well.

Thank you, George!

Dear Mr Cummins I noted with interest your site with interest concerning the Comyn-Cumming family.

May I point out one or two inaccuracies: Comines is not located in Normandy. The town of 18,000, devasted in World War I, is divided by the Franco-Belgian border. It is located at least on the Belgian side in Flanders. On the French side, it is in the suburbs of Lille. Nothing to do with Normandy. I have visited both towns.

The arms are in fact not wheat. They are barley. In reality, the arms which were used by Robert (de) Comines are those of the Campdevine (champ d'avoine) family who were at that time the Counts of St Pol, a large region which includes Comines. Robert was either either a member of the Campdevine (champ d'avoine = field of barley) or authorised by the Count of St Pol to represent him in the Conquest. The arms of the Campdevine are undifferentiated: simply one clump of barley. The three clumps - indeed the exact arms used by the head of the Cumming family were granted by the Count of St Pol to his representative in a small town in Picardy - about 50 miles from Comines.

You may be familiar with the books of Mrs Beryl Platts who deals with the Flemish - as opposed to Norman (Robert de Brus ) components of William the Conqueror's conquest of England notably by analysing their arms.

Best wishes

George Cumming

Genealogy