Brigges History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The English surname Brigges derives from the Old Norse word "bryggja." It is the Northern English form of the word bridge. 1 2 Brig(g) is "the northern [England] and Scottish word for bridge." 3

Early Origins of the Brigges family

The surname Brigges was first found in the Rotuli de Oblatis et Finibus, King John where the personal name Brig and de Brug occur. 4

Later in Yorkshire, Robert del Brig was listed there at Wakefield in 1275. 3 Later in Cumberland, Alexander del Brigg was registered in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Hugh ate Brugge and Roger ate Brugge in Oxfordshire while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Juliana del Bryg, Robertus atte Brig and Ricardus atte Brygg. 5

Between the 11th and 15th century there were numerous recordings of various members of the family name as they flourished in the north and into Scotland. "Duncanus Brigis appears in Murthlac, Banffshire, 1550 and Catherine Brigs was married in Edinburgh, 1611." 6

Early History of the Brigges family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brigges research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1382, 1504, 1560, 1561, 1628, 1630, 1633, 1642, 1668, 1670, 1676, 1677, 1682, 1684, 1704 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Brigges History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brigges Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brigg, Briggs, Brigge and others.

Early Notables of the Brigges family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Henry Briggs (c. 1561-1630), an English mathematician, who developed long division and popularized common logarithms, eponym of the Briggs lunar crater and Briggsian logarithms. He "was born at Warley Wood, in the parish of Halifax, Yorkshire, in February 1560, according to the entry in the Halifax parish register. Briggs was 'descended from the ancient family of that name at Salle in Norfolk.' There is evidence that Richard Briggs, the brother of Henry Briggs, became sub-master and afterwards head-master of Norfolk school. " 7 William Briggs (1642-1704), was an English physician and oculist...
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brigges Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brigges family to Ireland

Some of the Brigges family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brigges migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brigges Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Clement Brigges, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 8
Jo Brigges, aged 20, who landed in America in 1635 8
John Brigges, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 8

The Brigges 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: Fortiter et Fideliter
Motto Translation: Boldly and faithfully.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)