Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsBredney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • England England
Product

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

4.9 Average Rating

The name Bredney reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bredney family lived in the town and parish of Bradney in county Somerset. The name was originally derived from the Old English word "bradeney," which means "the dweller at the broad island."

Early Origins of the Bredney family

The surname Bredney was first found in Somerset where the family claim descent from Sir Simon de Bredenie in 1346. 1 This is probably the same gentleman who was listed as Simon de Bradneghe in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. William de Bradney was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2 Another source notes that Simon de Bardeneye was Mayor of Bristol in 1276 and Abbas de Bardeneye was listed in Lincolnshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 3

Early History of the Bredney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bredney research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1346 is included under the topic Early Bredney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredney Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bredney family name include Bradney, Bradnie, Bredenie and others.

Early Notables of the Bredney family

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

Migration of the Bredney family

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Bredney family to immigrate North America: Thomas Bradney who settled in Virginia in 1653; Geoffrey Bredenie who landed in America in 1799.

Contemporary Notables of the name Bredney (post 1700) +

  • Tony Bredney, Architect
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Houseofnames.com on Facebook