Cummings Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Cummings Family History

Cummings Family History

The family history of the ancient name Cummings was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The names Cummings, Cummins and Commons are said to have come from Normandy, but some deduce them from Northumberland. Their home was Badenoch, in the south eastern wilds of Inverness in Scotland. John Cumins was slain with Malcolm III at Alnwick in 1093. Sir John, the red Cumin, first Lord of Badenoch, was ambassador to Louis IX of France in 1240, and his son, John, was a competitor for the Scottish Crown, but Edward I of England chose John Baliol to be King of Scotland. This did not prevent Cumin from swearing fealty to the English King. His son John, called also the red Cumin, succeeded him as Lord of Badenoch. He fought against England in the war of Independance, but quarrelled with Robert Bruce, who stabbed him in the Church at Dumfries. His lands passed to the Earl of Buchan, descended from another Cumin. In Ireland these name are from the Gaelic O'Comain Sept in Munster and the O'Cuimin Sept of Connaught. These names are usually rendered as Commons in County Wexford, but as Cummins and Cummings in County Cork.The Cummings family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Cummings descendants.