Briges History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Briges

What does the name Briges mean?

The name Briges first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived near a newly cultivated piece of land. The surname Briges is derived from the Old English word bræc. 1

Early Origins of the Briges family

The surname Briges was first found in Shropshire where Peter de la Breche was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1221. A few years later, Peter de la Brach was listed in Surrey in 1248 and Philip atte Breche was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Later again, Rose atte Brache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1309. Robert le Brechere was listed at Oseney, Oxfordshire in 1245, while William le Brechere was found in Cornwall in 1297. 1

Early History of the Briges family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Briges research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Briges History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Briges Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Briges has appeared include Breach, Brech, Britch, Breashears, Breashear and many more.

Early Notables of the Briges family

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

Briges migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Briges arrived in North America very early:

Briges Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Briges, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1681 2

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)