Colbourn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Colbourn is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Colbourne, a township in the parish of Catterick in the North Riding of Yorkshire. 1 It is from the place-name that the family name is derived. 2 3

The place-names come from the Old English words "col," meaning "cool," and "burna," meaning "stream," collectively meaning "dweller near a cold stream." 4

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists this place as Corburne 5 and by 1198 it was known as Coleburn.

Early Origins of the Colbourn family

The surname Colbourn was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first of the name on record was Geoffrey de Colebrunn in 1208 who held estates in the North Riding of Yorkshire in the parish of Catterick. Later, William de Colburn was listed as a Freeman of York in 1386. 6

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Ricardus Collebround and Margarela Colbrand. 7

Researching old Somerset records we found Robert Colbern and William Colebrond both listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 8

Early History of the Colbourn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colbourn research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1386, 1622, 1631, 1677, 1686, 1693, 1695, 1701, 1778, 1794, 1795, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1808 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Colbourn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colbourn Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Colbourn were recorded, including Colburn, Colburne, Colborne, Colbourne, Coulbourne, Colbourn, Cullburn, Colborn, Colbryn, Coulbryne, Culbourne, Cullburne and many more.

Early Notables of the Colbourn family

Notables of the family at this time include Prisca Coborn (1622-1701) an English wealthy widow of a brewer, who established the Coopers' Company and Coborn School, a coeducational school in Bow in 1701.Sir John Colborne, first Baron Seaton (1778-1863), general, only son of Samuel Colborne of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, was born there on 16 Feb. 1778. He entered the army as an ensign in the 20th regiment on 10 July 1794, and won every step of promotion without purchase. He was promoted lieutenant on 4 Sept. 1795, and captain-lieutenant on 11 Aug...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colbourn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colbourn migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Colbourn family emigrate to North America:

Colbourn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Colbourn, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1859 9

Colbourn 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:

Colbourn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Benjamin Colbourn, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 10
Eve Colbourn, aged 7, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 10
Mary Colbourn, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 10
Benjamin Colbourn, aged 3, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Colbourn (post 1700) +

Harold Trevor Colbourn (1927-2015), Australian professor and academic administrator, 2nd President of the University of Central Florida (1978-1989)
Charles Joseph Colbourn (b. 1953), Canadian computer scientist and mathematician

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html