An Introduction to Orme Genealogy

These pages are about the Orme family. They contain historical information about Ormes and where the name came from.

Most Ormes are the descendants of settlers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark who crossed the North Sea to the British Isles long ago. From the British Isles, the name has spread to many other countries throughout the world where the Orme family continues to flourish.

Here you will find translations of inscriptions from ancient memorial stones that mention an Orme, the full text (or part of) Icelandic Sagas that mention an Orme, early records of Orme from the United Kingdom and all kinds of other information about Orme. There is even an Orme who was found hanging in the National Gallery in London ... well, perhaps not an Orme hanging in the National Gallery, but his portrait is there - it was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1756; the National Gallery also has seven paintings by Daniel Orme (1766-1802) and two by Edward Orme.

If you are looking for a complete history of the Orme family, I am sorry to say that such a document does not exist. The information on these pages is currently the most complete collection of information about Ormes, and it is still like a jigsaw puzzle with 90% of the pieces missing.

The following passage was written in Norman-French by Robert Wace in the 12th century. It is still true today.

In English ...

'To remember our ancestors
Their deeds, their words and their departure,
One must read books and histories
As though they were a feast to be devoured,
The felonies of the felons,
The barnages of the barons.
To do this well and understand
And have lasting success
Read what was first written,
And read many books
By authors who wrote
Of noble deeds and good words
That the baron and the seignour
Made in ancient times.
So many remembrances
Have turned to forgotten
That it makes writers of all of us
Who retrace histories'.