Contents [hide]

Barne History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Barne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The forbears of the name Barne are thought to be of the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name indicates that the first bearer lived in Brennath in Moray, where the name became Birnie. Birnie is a parish in the county of Elgin. "This place is said by some to have been the site of the first cathedral of the diocese of Moray; and it is probable that Simeon de Tonei, one of the bishops, was buried here, in 1184". 1

The village of Birnie was originally called Brenuth, from brae-nut, which means "hazel trees". Natives of Birnie, using a local dialect, also called the village Burn-nigh, which means near the burn river. This local name, particularly in medieval times, is prefixed by "de", which means "from." 2

During the Middle Ages, the Birney family became a part of the landed gentry and they wielded considerable prestige and influence in the region of the Scottish borderlands.

Early Origins of the Barne family

The surname Barne was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Birnie Kirk, a Church of Scotland church built c. 1140 is still found today. It was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. The church is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use through the centuries.

"James de Brennath (the early form of the place name), burgess of Elgin, was one of an inquest concerning the King's garden there in 1261. William de Brennath, dictus Tatenel, witnessed the gift by Hugh Herock, burgess of Elgin, to the church of Elgin in 1286, and Andrew de Bienach was clerk to Sir Dovenald, earl of Mar in 1291. Walter de Branach was the king's chaplain in Moray, 1360. William de Byrneth, canon of the church of Moray, appears as a witness in 1463, Nicholas Birne was a chaplain in 1514, and William Byrny was burgess of Edinburgh in 1558." 3

Birnie Loch is a man-made loch located in North East Fife from a flooded gravel pit. Birnie Island is a small, uninhabited coral island, 20 hectares in area, part of the Phoenix Island group in central Pacific ocean named after the London firm Alexander Birnie & Co in 1823.

The MacBirnie (MacBurnie and MacBurney) variant was first found in 1466 when David M'Birny was a witness in Kirkcudbright. 3

Early History of the Barne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barne research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1500, 1520, 1563, 1584, 1591, 1619, 1680 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Barne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barne Spelling Variations

Medieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Barne has been spelled Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the Barne family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Barne family to Ireland

Some of the Barne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barne migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Barne were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

Barne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Barne, who arrived in Virginia in 1679 4

Barne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J. P. Barne, aged 27, who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Howard" in 1822 5
Cath Barne, aged 19, who arrived in New York aboard the ship "City of Manchester" in 1840 5
Biddy Barne, aged 13, who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Sardinia" in 1847 5
Bridget Barne, aged 30, who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Loodianah" in 1849 5
Peter Barne, aged 40, who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Loodianah" in 1849 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barne migration to Australia +

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

Barne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Barne, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indian" in 1849 6
William Barne, who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Helen Lindsay" in 1854 7

Barne Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

H. C. Barne, who arrived in Melbourne, Australia aboard the ship "Opawa" in 1916 7

Barne migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Barne Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Robert Barne, aged 33 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Barne (post 1700) +

Snowdon Barne (1756-1825), lawyer and a British Member of Parliament, who represented the Dunwich seat from 1796 to 1812
Michael Barne (1877-1961), officer of the 1901-04 Discovery Expedition
Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Barne (1759-1837), British military officer and a Member of Parliament for Dunwich between 1812 and 1830
Miles Barne (1746-1825), British Member of Parliament for Dunwich, a Pocket Borough in the county of Suffolk, between 1791 and 1796 and High Sheriff of Suffolk from 1790 to 1791
Miles Barne (1718-1780), English land-owner and a Member of Parliament for Dunwich between 1747 and 1754, and again between 1764 and 1777
Marion Catherine "Kitty" Barne (1882-1961), British screenwriter and author of children's books, especially on music and musical themes
Sir George Barne (1532-1593), prominent merchant and public official from London during the reign of Elizabeth I
George Dunsford Barne (1879-1954), CIE, OBE, was a Jamaican-born British Anglican priest who was Bishop of Lahore between 1932 and 1949
Frederick St John Newdigate Barne (1842-1898), British army officer and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1876 to 1885
Frederick Barne (1805-1886), English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1830 to 1832

The Barne 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: Sapere aude incipe
Motto Translation: Dare to be wise, begin at once

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The INDIAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Indian.htm
Public Record Office Victoria retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved fromhttps://prov.vic.gov.au
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies