Bronsmyth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient name of Bronsmyth finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a worker in copper and brass. The surname Bronsmyth is derived from the Old English words brun, which means brown, and refers to the color of the metals used, and smith, which means smith. 1 2

Early Origins of the Bronsmyth family

The surname Bronsmyth was first found in Yorkshire, where Thomas le Brounesmyth was registered at Wakefield in 1296. A short time later, William Brounsmyth was registered on the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 1 Kirby's Quest also lists the same person. 3

Back in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Willelmus Bronesmyth; and Simon Bronsmyth. 2

A William Brownsmith was rector of Stiffkey, Norfolk in 1559 4 and the Register of the University of Oxford includes William Brownsmith, Essex in 1581. 2

Early History of the Bronsmyth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bronsmyth research. Another 194 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1327, 1349, 1369, 1379, 1447, 1559, 1581, 1694, 1809, 1829, 1838, 1848, 1853, 1857, 1859, 1862, 1865 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Bronsmyth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bronsmyth Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bronsmyth family name include Brownsmith, Brounesmyth, Brounsmyth, Bronesmyth, Bronsmyth and many more.

Early Notables of the Bronsmyth family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Leman Brownsmith, born in Westminster in 1809, and received his musical education as a chorister of Westminster Abbey under George Ebenezer Williams and Thomas Greatorex. On quitting the choir he pursued the study of the organ, and in a short time became not only an excellent player but acquired so perfect a knowledge of the structure of the instrument as to be able to build a small chamber-organ for himself. In 1829, on the death of Benjamin Jacob...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bronsmyth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bronsmyth family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bronsmyth surname or a spelling variation of the name include : a number of settlers who arrived in the New World by the 19th century.

Citations +

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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print