Blaigburne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Blaigburne first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the town of Blackburn in the county of Lancashire. This place-name is derived from the Old English word burn, meaning stream, and referred to a stream in a dark area, or where the water was muddy. 1

Early Origins of the Blaigburne family

The surname Blaigburne was first found in Lancashire at Blackburn, a parish, and the head of a union, in the Lower division of the hundred of Blackburn. "This place takes its name from a small rivulet near the town, which, from the turbid state of the water, was anciently called Blakeburn, or "the yellow bourne." A castle is said to have been built here, probably by the Romans, which, after their departure from the island, was occupied successively by the Britons and the Saxons; but there are no vestiges of it, nor can even its site be distinctly ascertained. Blackburn was formerly the capital of a district called Blackburnshire." 2

The earliest record of the family was Henry de Blackeburn who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1206. 3

Early records of one branch of the family were found in Garston, Lancashire. "Robert de Blackburn held Garston for nearly forty years, dying about the year 1354; his wife Ellen is mentioned in 1332. He acquired various portions of land from the minor owners. Robert de Blackburn was succeeded by his eldest son John, who even before his father's death seems to have taken an active part in managing the estate. (fn. 35) He was lord of the manor for about fifty years, dying on 8 January, 1404-5, and during this long period seems to have been constantly acquiring fresh portions of land." 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus de Blakburn; Cristoforus de Blakeburn; and Johannes de Blakburn. A few years later, John de Blakeburne was listed in the Preston Guild Rolls of 1397. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, the name was derived from "one or other of several small places so named. Willelmus de Blakeburne was witness in 1243 to the ratification of the gift of the church of Lescelyn to Lundors. Robert de Blakeburne of Berwickshire rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. William de Blakburne appears as Abbot of Cambuskenneth, 1394. 6

Early History of the Blaigburne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blaigburne research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1243, 1296, 1501, 1652, 1658, 1669, 1683, 1690, 1700, 1705, 1741, 1743 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Blaigburne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blaigburne Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Blaigburne has appeared include Blackburn, Blackbyrn, Blackbirn, Blackburne, Blackborn, Blagburn, Blackbyrne and many more.

Early Notables of the Blaigburne family

Distinguished members of the family include Lancelot Blackburne (sometimes Blackburn or Blackbourne), (1658-1743), an English clergyman, who became Archbishop of York, and some believe to have been a pirate. He was the son of Richard Blackburne of London, whom the archbishop claimed to have been connected with the Blackburnes of Marricke Abbey. "Archbishop Blackburne was gay and witty. His enemies repeated the story that he acted as chaplain on board one of the ships engaged in buccaneering, and that he shared the booty, the joke running that one of the buccaneers on his arrival in England asked what had become of...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blaigburne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blaigburne family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Blaigburne arrived in North America very early: Daniel Blackburn who settled in Virginia in the year 1640; James Blackburn settled in Virginia in 1624; Stewart Blackborn arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1857.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)