The origins of the Bretebritch name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in Sussex, in the hamlet of Broadbridge in the parish of Bosham. Broadbrige means "bridge over the broad river crossing," and is three miles west of Chichester and been inhabited since the period of Roman occupation of Britain. Another village in the area is called Broadbridge Heath, and is the birthplace of Percy Bysshe Shelley, the great romantic poet who lived from 1792 to 1822. The name Broadbridge is a compound of the Old English words brad and brycg, which mean "broad" and "bridge," respectively.
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Early Origins of the Bretebritch family
The surname Bretebritch was first found in Sussex, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
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Early History of the Bretebritch family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bretebritch research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1192, 1296, 1327, 1500 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Bretebritch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Bretebritch Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bretebritch were recorded, including Brodbridge, Broadbridge, Brodebridge, Broadbrige, Bradebrige and many more.
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Early Notables of the Bretebritch family
More information is included under the topic Early Bretebritch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Bretebritch family
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Bretebritch family emigrate to North America: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.
England
