Blogging History

I just found an old reply to a blog my husband wrote back in 2002! Was Eye on Immingham (Or Immingham .org.uk for that matter) around so long ago? It seems like yesterday! We are reworking the website and using the blogs to make it easier for people to contribute. Do join in, we love to know what you are thinking.

It is filled with tantalising bits of information about Immingham’s past, so I post it here for you to read.

Did you know Imm / Emme was an old Anlo Saxon family?
live in a town called Immingham, on the south bank of the River Humber, England. It is the town from which he original Pilgrim Fathers first departed from England in 1608 They left on the ship “Speedwell” and settled in Holland originally before continuing their journey to America via Southampton.
The reason I am writing to you is your surname, Imm. Our town, Immingham, has a completely English name which unusual around here where the Vikings settled. It is made up of three early English (Anglo Saxon) words:
“Imm” – a family name;
“inga” – of the family;
“ham” – homestead.
Thus Immingham means “homestead of the family of Imm“.
The language suggests that the name of the town goes back to the 7th century!
We know a little about Imm (or Imma / Immer) from one of our early historians, Bede, who wrote in 731 AD. Bede tells us that in 679 Imm was a Thane (a type of King’s bodyguard) in the service of the 18 year old brother of the King of Northumbria, Elfwin. As a Thane it was his job to die at the side of his master. In 679 he was involved in a battle not far from here on the River Trent. Elfwin was killed and Imm was left for dead. He later revived and was taken into captivity (being careful to keep his name and title secret). The Mercians who had captured him treated his wounds and when he got better chained him up each night to prevent his escape.
Meanwhile his brother, Tunna, a priest and Abbot of a monastery, assuming his brother dead ,had regualr prayers and masses said for him.
The Mercians had great trouble keeping Imm under captivity and guessed he was more than just a peasant. The Mercian Chief had him closely questioned. Imm agreed to speak if the Chief promised not to kill him. On learning that Imm was a King’s Thane he was furious but could not go back on his word. The Mercians believed Imm was using black magic to escape. But Imm pointed out that his brother was Christian and was probably praying for him and that was the reason for his success.
Because he was such a problem the Mercians sold Imm in London as a slave to a Frisian. The Frisian Islands lie to the north of Holland. This Frisian also found it difficult to keep Imm captive so he allowed him to arrange for his ransom. The King of Kent eventually paid the ransom because he had connections with Imm’s family or associates. Imm went through a number of other adventures before he got back to his own country. On reuniting with his brother, the Abbot confirmed that he had indeed been praying for his brother.
I hope you don’t mind my rambling like this! But I thought you might be interested in what we know of Imm, who may possibly be one of your early ancestors. My wife, Eve, and I are sponsoring a competition amongst the local school children to develop a cartoon characterisation of Imm / Imma to use in the promotion of our town. We are just starting to get a site on the Web for Immingham people and produce the local newsletter. (The Web site is nowhere near ready but the address is Immingham.org.uk).
All the best,
Philip Clark