Brownhill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Brownhill surname is thought to be a habitational name, created from any of various places in England called Brownell. There was a Brownell in Yorkshire, in Cheshire, and in Staffordshire. These place names in turn come from the Old English "brun,"meaning "brown," and "hyll" meaning "a hill." 1

Early Origins of the Brownhill family

The surname Brownhill was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The Brownhill surname may even pre-date the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Brownhill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brownhill research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1275 and 1329 are included under the topic Early Brownhill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brownhill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Brownell, Brounell, Brownel and others.

Early Notables of the Brownhill family

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

Brownhill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Brownhill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Brownhill, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 2

Brownhill migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Brownhill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Brownhill, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. John Brownhill, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Brownhill migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Brownhill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Jessie Brownhill, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 5

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html