Spilsbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Spilsbury name is a habitational name derived from Spelsbury, from the Old English byname Speol which means "watchful" and the Old English word "burh" which means "town" or "fortress."

Early Origins of the Spilsbury family

The surname Spilsbury was first found in Oxfordshire at Spelsbury, a village and civil parish in the union of Chipping-Norton, hundred of Chadlington. 1 Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Spelsbury, held by Urso from the Bishop of Winchester, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. William de Spellesbury was listed in Eynsham in 1180 and Phillip de Spillesbury was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. 2

Early History of the Spilsbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spilsbury research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1593, 1599, 1621, 1633, 1638, 1668 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Spilsbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spilsbury Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Spilsbury, Spelsbury, Pilsbury, Pelsbury and others.

Early Notables of the Spilsbury family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Spilsbury (1593-c...

Spilsbury migration to Australia +

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

Spilsbury Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Spilsbury, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
Mr. John Spilsbury, (b. 1817), aged 23, English shoe maker who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Spilsbury (post 1700) +

Klinton Spilsbury (b. 1951), Mexican-born, American actor, best known for his starring role in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Jonathan Spilsbury (1760-1790), English engraver, practised chiefly in mezzotint, and between 1759 and 1789 produced many excellent plates, mainly portraits, which included Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, after Sadler and Lord Camden
Benjamin Ward "Ben" Spilsbury (1864-1938), English international footballer who played for Cambridge University from 1884 to 1887
John William Edward Spilsbury (b. 1933), former English cricketer who played for Worcestershire in 1952
Thomas John "Spill" Spilsbury (1874-1947), English footballer whop played 41 matches with Burslem Port Vale (1897-1901)
John Spilsbury (1739-1769), British mapmaker and engraver; his credited as the inventor of the jigsaw puzzle, brother of Jonathan Spilsbury
Maria Spilsbury (1776-1820), British artist known for her religious paintings and portraiture
Tom Spilsbury (b. 1976), British writer, magazine editor and journalist
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury (1877-1947), British pathologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden