Brabrook History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Brabrook is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the parish Braybrook, Northamptonshire.

Early Origins of the Brabrook family

The surname Brabrook was first found in Northamptonshire at Braybrook(e), a parish, in the union of Market-Harborough, hundred of Rothwell. 1 The place name derived its name from Saxon times and the term "Brada-broc" meaning "the broad brook", 2

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to Bradebroc, Braibroc in the Pipe Rolls of 1163, and as Brabroc in the Feet of Fines of 1197.

Robert de Braibroc was a Baron by tenure temp. King John. Also known as Robert of Braybrooke or Robert le May (1168-1210), he was a medieval landowner, justice and sheriff. He was born at Braybrooke, Northamptonshire, son of justiciar Ingebald de Braybrooke. His son Henry of Braybrooke (died 1234) was an undersheriff of Rutlandshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire. 3

The family held Braybrook Castle, originally a manor home, but by the late 13th century, the estate has passed into the hands of the Latymer family.

Later, Sir Gerard Braybrooke I (c.1332-1403), of Colmworth, Bedfordshire and Horsenden, Buckinghamshire, was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire (1377-1390.) He had two sons: Sir Gerard Braybrooke (before 1354-1429), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire (1388-1399) and for Essex (1402-1417); and Sir Reynold Braybrooke (c.1356-1405), another English politician, Member of Parliament for Kent in 1404. He died from a battle wound on 20 September 1405.

Baron Braybrooke, of Braybrooke in the County of Northampton, is a title created in 1788 for John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden and has no relationship to this family.

Early History of the Brabrook family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brabrook research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1356, 1381, 1382, 1383, 1390, 1394, 1397, 1404 and 1405 are included under the topic Early Brabrook History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brabrook Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Brabrook has been spelled many different ways, including Braybrook, Braybrooke, Brailbroc and others.

Early Notables of the Brabrook family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert Braybrooke (d. 1404), medieval Dean of Salisbury and Bishop of London, nominated (1381) and consecrated in 1382, named Lord Chancellor of England in 1382, out of the...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brabrook Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brabrook family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Brabrooks to arrive in North America: John Braybrook who settled in New England in 1630.

Contemporary Notables of the name Brabrook (post 1700) +

Sir Edward William Brabrook CB FSA FRAI (1839-1930), English civil servant, author, and anthropologist, member of the Folklore Society and a fellow of Society of Antiquaries of London and was awarded the silver Guy Medal in 1909
Peter Brabrook (1937-2016), English footballer who made nearly 500 appearances in the Football League

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print