Frisbey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Frisbey reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Frisbey family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Frisbey family lived in Leicestershire, in a town called Frisby which is now lost to the map. A number of towns called Frisby exist in England, all deriving their names from the Old Norman word frisir, which indicated someone from the area of Frisia or Friesland.

Early Origins of the Frisbey family

The surname Frisbey was first found in Leicestershire where the family were Lords of the manor of Frisby at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 a survey by William the Conqueror in 1086, after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. Conjecturally they are descended from Fulk, a Norman noble who held this land from Hugh de Grandmesnil. The village is now deserted and lies on Frisby Hall farmland. Also in Leicestershire Frisby on the Wreake were estates held by Earl Hugh and may have had some connection to the family.

Early History of the Frisbey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frisbey research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1929 and 1965 are included under the topic Early Frisbey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frisbey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Frisbie, Frisby, Frisbee, Frisebie, Frisebye, Friseby and many more.

Early Notables of the Frisbey family

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

Migration of the Frisbey family to Ireland

Some of the Frisbey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frisbey migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Frisbey name or one of its variants:

Frisbey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Frisbey, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Frisbey (post 1700) +

Àstrid Bergès- Frisbey (b. 1986), Spanish-French actress

The Frisbey 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: Semper fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

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)