Show ContentsBasinbyrne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Basinbyrne family

The surname Basinbyrne was first found in Cambridgeshire where one of the first records of the family was Hmphrey de Bassingbourne (fl. 1206), "an itinerant justice in the year 1206, when certain fines were acknowledged before him and Richard de Seing at St. Edmund's, Cambridge, and Bedford. On this occasion he is called Humphrey, Archdeacon of Salisbury, and Foss has identified this Humphrey with the Humphrey de Bassingbourne who, according to Le Neve, was Archdeacon of Sarum in various years from 1188 to 1222. " 1

Today, Bassingbourne is a parish, in the union of Royston, hundred of Armingford in Cambridgeshire. 2

Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Bassingborne, held by Leofing from Hardwin of Scales, a Norman Baron, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Basinbyrne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Basinbyrne research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1306, 1510, 1534 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Basinbyrne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Basinbyrne Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Bassingborn, Bassingborne, Basingborn, Basingborne, Bassingburn, Bassingyrn, Bassingbyrne, Basingburn, Basingbyrn, Basinbyrne, Basingford, Basingforth, Bassingford, Bassingforth, Bassington and many more.

Early Notables of the Basinbyrne family

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

Migration of the Basinbyrne family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Basinbyrne or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook