Brierton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Brierton is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Brierton family lived in Staffordshire. They lived in this area on estates at Brereton Manor, from which they took their name. Other records show that Brearton was a village in the parish of Knaresborough in Yorkshire and Brereton was a village three miles from Sandbach, Chester.

"One of the great Cheshire families who can be proved to have existed at or near the time of the Conquest, and are yet unnoticed in [the] Domesday [Book]. They came over with the Conqueror, in the train of Hugh Lupus, with Gilbert de Venables to whom they are apparently related, and settled at Brereton, from which place the name was assumed as early as temp. William Rufus. " 1

Early Origins of the Brierton family

The surname Brierton was first found in Cheshire at Brereton, a civil parish, containing the hamlets of Brereton Green and Brereton Heath. Brereton dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Bretone and literally meant "farmstead amongst the briars," having derived from the Old English words brer + dun. 2 At that time, Gilbert de Venables held the lands of Brereton which was large enough for 4 ploughs and held 1 acre of meadow. 3

Brereton Hall, built for Sir William Brereton (1550-1631) is a country house north of the village of Brereton Green.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Brearton, a village and civil parish in the Harrogate borough of North Yorkshire. In this case, the place name dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Braretone 3 having derived from the same literal origin as the aforementioned Brereton.

Further north and east, Brierton is a township, in the parish of Stranton, union of Stockton-upon-Tees, North East division of Stockton ward, South division of the county of Durham. While one would presume that the township was related to the family, "the manor belonged from the earliest date of the records to the family of Graystock. It afterwards passed to the Dacres." 4

Early History of the Brierton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brierton research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1604, 1611, 1631, 1659, 1661, 1664, 1680, 1691, 1718 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Brierton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brierton Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Brereton, Breereton, Breeretoun, Breeretoune, Breriton and many more.

Early Notables of the Brierton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Lord Brereton of Carlaw; Sir William Brereton of Brereton, 1st Lord of Laghlin (1550-1631); Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet Brerton (1604-1661), English soldier, politician, and writer, Commander-in-Chief for Parliament's army during the English Civil War; William Brereton, 2nd Baron Brereton (1611-1664), an...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brierton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brierton family to Ireland

Some of the Brierton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brierton family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Brierton or a variant listed above: John Brereton who settled in Barbados in 1654; John Brereton settled in Maine in 1602; eighteen years before the Mayflower" and was one of the pioneers of the Maine rivers.

Contemporary Notables of the name Brierton (post 1700) +

Frankie Brierton, of Santo, Texas, American amputee who lost his legs through a spinal disorder; he shouted "Pretty paper! Pretty paper!" to passersby to help sell pencils and paper on the streets, inspiration of Willie Nelson's hit "Pretty Paper" in 1963 sung by Roy Orbison

The Brierton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Opitulante Deo
Motto Translation: By God’s help.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.