Borrett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Borrett family

The surname Borrett was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of East and West Bower held Michael Bures of the castle of Bures near Bayeux in Normandy who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Borrett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Borrett research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Borrett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Borrett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bures, Burett, Burett, Buret, Burritt, Buritt, Borrett, Borret, Borrit, Boret and many more.

Early Notables of the Borrett family

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

Borrett migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Borrett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel, Borrett Jr., aged 15, who arrived in New York in 1827 2
Robert Borrett, aged 16, who landed in America in 1836 2
Robert Borrett of Fressingfield, Suffolk, age 16, who settled in America in 1836

Borrett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Borrett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Borrett, (Barrett, Herbert), (b. 1818), aged 23, English house maid who was convicted in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Borrett (post 1700) +

Christopher Richard Borrett (b. 1979), English cricketer
Paul Borrett (b. 1944), former English cricketer
Sheila Borrett (1905-1986), born Margaret Sheila Graham, a British radio presenter, the first female announcer on the BBC’s National Service
Admiral George Holmes Borrett CB (1868-1952), British officer of the Royal Navy who commanded a battleship at the Battle of Jutland, and later rising to the rank of admiral
The Ven. Charles Walter Borrett (1916-2000), British Archdeacon of Stoke-on-Trent from 1956 to 1970
Lieutenant General Sir Oswald Cuthbert Borrett KCB CMG CBE DSO (1878-1950), British officer, Commander of British Troops in China
Norman Francis Borrett (1917-2004), British field hockey player, rugby union player and cricketer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia