Westberry History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe Westberry surname is a habitational name from any of various places named Westbury, for example in Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Shropshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. These place names all come from the Old English words "west," or "west," and "burh," which is a fortress or fortified town. Early Origins of the Westberry familyThe surname WestBerry was first found in Buckinghamshire, where a family took on the name of the Parish of Westbury: a Walter de Westbury held the manor before 1198 and was succeeded by his son, William de Westbury prior to 1203. Other earcly records of the name occur in Worcester, where the first on record appears to be Wiiliam de Westbir listed there in 1208 in the Liber Feodorum. A John de Westbyr is listed in that same volume in Hampshire in 1242. A deed of a gift of land in Enfield (greater London) in 1433 record a John Westbury junior, and his brother William Westbury. Early History of the Westberry familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westberry research. Another 29 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1385, 1417, 1419, 1438, 1442, 1447, 1448, 1784, 1793 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Westberry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Westberry Spelling VariationsBefore 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 Westberry were recorded, including Westbury, Westburie and others. Early Notables of the Westberry familyNotables of the family at this time include William de Westbury (c. 1385-1448), justice of the King's Bench in Wiltshire in 1438; John Westbury of Hill Deverill, Wiltshire (died ca. 1448), also called John de Westbury and John of Westbury, English Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1417 and... Westberry RankingIn the United States, the name Westberry is the 9,756th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] Migration of the WestBerry familyTo 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 Westberry family emigrate to North America: Ann Westbury, a servant sent from Bristol to Barbados in 1659; Prudence Westbury, who arrived in Virginia in 1664; Edward Westbury, who settled in South Carolina sometime between 1670 and 1677.
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