Briston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Briston came to England with the ancestors of the Briston family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Briston family lived at Breighton in the East Riding of Yorkshire where they were established since the early Middle Ages. Some have mistakenly thought the name came from Brighton in Sussex, but until the late 1800s that place was called Brighthelmestone.

Early Origins of the Briston family

The surname Briston was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Breighton in the East Riding. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, the sizeable village of Breighton was held Ralph de Mortimer, a battle of Hastings warrior, who was granted many 123 Lordships by Duke William of Normandy, his chief seat being that of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire. Which of his under-tenants or relatives held Breighton is unknown, but we feel certain that this is the ancient ancestor of the Brightons. He was succeeded by Roger, Hugh, William and others.

Early History of the Briston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Briston research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1328 and 1341 are included under the topic Early Briston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Briston Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Brighton, Bryton, Bryghton, Brighten, Bryten, Bryghten and many more.

Early Notables of the Briston family

More information is included under the topic Early Briston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Briston migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Briston or a variant listed above:

Briston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lydia Briston, who arrived in New York in 1831 2
Edward Briston, who arrived in Iowa in 1878 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Briston (post 1700) +

Briston Meeney (b. 1981), American actor, known for Sense Memory (2006), Dorito-hibition! (2010) and I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)