Bolbruk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Bolbruk is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the parish of Bolingbrooke. The place dates back to the Domesday Book as Bolinbroc 1 from the Old English Bulingbroc, which literally meant brook associated with a bull. 2

Today there is also a village named New Bolingbroke located in the Lincolnshire Fens about 10km east of Coningsby.

Early Origins of the Bolbruk family

The surname Bolbruk was first found in Lincolnshire. Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting aspects of this surname is that King Henry IV of England, was also known as Henry of Bolingbroke because he was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire. The castle, now in ruins, was first fortified by the Saxons in the 6th or 7th century. In the 12th century the Normans built a Motte-and-bailey on a nearby hill above the settlement of Bolingbroke. The present structure was founded by Ranulf, Earl of Chester, in 1220 shortly after he returned from the Fifth Crusade.

Another source explains the castle's origin in a slightly different manner: "A castle was built by William de Romara, Earl of Lincoln, of which his descendant, Alicia de Lacey, was dispossessed by Edward II. Henry IV. was born in this fortress, and from it took the name of Henry of Bolingbroke: it was nearly demolished in the civil wars, the south-west tower being all that remains." 3

Lucy of Bolingbroke (died c. 1138) was an Anglo-Norman heiress and later in life, Countess of Chester. William de Bullingbroc was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1170-1180 in Lincolnshire and later, John be Bolingbrok was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Yorkshire. Much later, John Bullyngbroke was listed in Nottinghamshire in 1476 and William Bolyngbroke was found in the same shire in 1503. 4

Early History of the Bolbruk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolbruk research. Another 263 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1170, 1275, 1295, 1367, 1441, 1476, 1500 and 1503 are included under the topic Early Bolbruk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolbruk 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 Bolbruk family name include Bolingbroke, Bollingbroke, Bolingbrook, Bullingbroke, Bullingbrook, Bollingbrooke, Bulingbroc, Bolingbrok, Bullyngbroke and many more.

Early Notables of the Bolbruk family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bolbruk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bolbruk 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 Bolbruk surname or a spelling variation of the name include: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.

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)
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)