Birchby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

There are no fewer than three locations in England named Birkby. In Cumbria, Birkby is in the parish of Crosscanonby (or Cross Canonby) and the remaining two locations are found in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It is from this area of England that the surname Birchby claims as its ancient homestead.

Early Origins of the Birchby family

The surname Birchby was first found in West Yorkshire or North Yorkshire at Birkby, townships and parishes. The North Yorkshire location is presumably the oldest at it dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Bretebi. 1 Both place names mean "farmstead or village of the Britons." 2 One of the first records of the name was William de Bretteby, who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. Years later, William Birtby was listed again in Yorkshire in 1462. 3 Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Birkby near Huddersfield held by the King's steward, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Birchby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birchby research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Birchby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birchby Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Birchby were recorded, including Birkby, Berkby, Beckby, Bickby, Birkbie, Birkbee, Bickbie, Burkby, Burkbie, Birkbye, Birchby, Berchby and many more.

Early Notables of the Birchby family

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

Migration of the Birchby family

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Birchby arrived in North America very early: Samuell Birkby, who settled in Maryland in 1657; Catherine Birkby, who arrived in Maryland in 1654; and John Birkby, who was on record in New York in 1831..

Contemporary Notables of the name Birchby (post 1700) +

Herbert Birchby Warburton (1916-1983), American Republican politician, Secretary of Delaware Republican Party, 1950; U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1953-55; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Delaware, 1954 4

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html