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Bromwich History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bromwich History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Bromwich family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the settlement of West Bromwich in Staffordshire, or in the place called Little Bromwich in Warwickshire. Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.

All places essentially mean "dwelling or farm where broom grows," from the Old English words "brom" + "wic." 1

Another source provides more details about West Bromwich: " The name has been variously written at different periods as Bromwic, Bromwych, Bromich, Bromwhiche, and Bromwidge. It is derived from the broom supposed to have once grown plentifully in the neighbourhood, and wic, a Saxon word signifying village: West appears to have been added to distinguish the place from Castle-Bromwich, Little Bromwich, and Bromwycham, as Birmingham was once called. The parish is not mentioned in the Domesday survey; but it appears from other records to have belonged to the barony of Dudley, and in the time of Henry III. Walter de Everons, and his two coparceners, held the town of Bromwich of Roger de Somery." 2

Early Origins of the Bromwich family

The surname Bromwich was first found in Warwickshire, where Adam de Bromwiz was the first on record in the Assize Rolls for 1221. A few years later, William de Bromwic was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1225. 3

But from these 13th century entries, there is a loss until the 16th century when Thomas Bromidge from Berkshire was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford in 1581. 4

Atkyn's History of Gloucestershire includes an entry for John Bromage, patron of Bromsberrow Vicarage, Gloucestershire, 1583.

Early History of the Bromwich family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bromwich research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1225, 1500, 1510, 1511, 1523, 1538, 1544, 1554, 1557, 1581, 1583, 1640, 1668, 1672, 1702, 1748 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Bromwich History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bromwich Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bromwich include Bromage, Bromwich, Bromige, Brommage, Bromwiz, Bromwic, Bromidge and many more.

Early Notables of the Bromwich family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Bromage, patron of Bromsberrow Vicarage in Gloucestershire during the 16th century; and Andrew Bromwich (c.1640-1702), an English Roman Catholic priest, founder of the Oscott Mission and survivor...
Thomas Bromwich (by 1523-1557 or later) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Hereford in 1554. The Bromwich family was well-established in Hereford. Thomas Bromwich's father was mayor t...

Bromwich migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bromwich or a variant listed above:

Bromwich Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Bromwich who arrived in America in 1763

Bromwich migration to Australia +

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

Bromwich Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Bromwich, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 5

Bromwich migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bromwich Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Annie Bromwich, aged 18, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" in 1872 6
Emily Bromwich, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" in 1872 6
Miss Annie Bromwich, (b. 1854), aged 18, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th December 1872 6
Miss Emily Bromwich, (b. 1857), aged 15, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th December 1872 6
Henry Bromwich, aged 44, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bromwich (post 1700) +

John Edward Bromwich (1918-1999), Australian tennis player, four-time Wimbledon winner, nine-time Australian Open winner, one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
David Bromwich, American author and Professor of English at Yale University
Faith Nalani Bromwich, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 2008
Elroy W. Bromwich, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1956 7
Thomas John I'Anson Bromwich (1875-1929), English mathematician from Wolverhampton, England, Fellow of the Royal Society
Jesse Bromwich, New Zealand professional rugby league footballer from Auckland, who plays for the Melbourne Storm, older brother of Kenneath Bromwich
Rachel Bromwich (1915-2010), British scholar, known for her studies on medieval Welsh literature
Kenneath "Kenny" Bromwich (b. 1991), New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Melbourne Storm

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html