Bradbourn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the name Bradbourn date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Bradbourne, a parish, partly in the hundred of Appletree, but chiefly in that of Wirksworth in Derbyshire. 1

"The manor was one of those belonging to Henry de Ferrers at the time of the Domesday survey; in the reign of John it was conveyed to the Bradborne family, of whom Henry de Bradborne was executed at Pomfret, in 1322, for his adhesion to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. " 2

Listed as Bradeburne in the Domesday Book of 1086, 3 the place name literally means place at the broad stream from the Old English "brad" + "burna." 4 5

Early Origins of the Bradbourn family

The surname Bradbourn was first found in Kent, where John de Bradeburn was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. A few years later, Roger de Bradeburn was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1286. 6

Early History of the Bradbourn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bradbourn research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1573, 1662, 1751, 1787, 1816, 1831, 1832 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Bradbourn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bradbourn Spelling Variations

Bradbourn has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Bradbourn have been found, including Bradbourn, Bradbourne, Bradborn, Bradborne, Bradburn and many more.

Early Notables of the Bradbourn family

Distinguished members of the family include Samuel Bradburn (1751-1816), Methodist preacher, an associate of Wesley, and an intimate disciple of Fletcher of Madeley. He was the son of a private in the army, and was born at Gibraltar. On his father's return to England, when he was about twelve years old, he was apprenticed to a cobbler at Chester, and after a course of youthful profligacy became a Methodist at the age of eighteen, entered the itinerant ministry about three years later, and continued in it more than forty years till his death. Bradburn was, according to the testimony of all...
Another 207 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bradbourn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bradbourn family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Bradbourns to arrive on North American shores: Thomas Bradburne who settled in Virginia in 1663; Thomas Bradborn who settled in Virginia in 1732; John Bradburn settled in New England in 1705.

Contemporary Notables of the name Bradbourn (post 1700) +

Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP (1951-2014), British politician, Member of the European Parliament (1999-2014)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)