Beilbey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Beilbey family

The surname Beilbey was first found in Yorkshire at Bielby or in Lincolnshire at Beelby. Belebi was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 1 and literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Beli," from the Viking personal name + "by." 2

Lincolnshire was the first record of the family; that of Walter de Beleby who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1202. Later, John de Beleby was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1372 and much later, Sicillia Beilby was registered as a Freeman of York in 1464. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had entries for Robertus de Bilby; and Willelmus de Bilby who held lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Beilbey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beilbey research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1544, 1600, 1635 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Beilbey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beilbey Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Beilbey family name include Beilby, Beelby, Beilbie, Bealbie, Beelbie, Beelbe, Belby and many more.

Early Notables of the Beilbey family

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

Migration of the Beilbey family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Beilbey surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Adele Catherine Belby, aged 5, who arrived at Ellis Island from Nassau, Bahamas, in 1919; and Joe Belby, aged 38, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1918..

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)