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Brumley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Brumley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Brumley begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Bromley Abbots or Bromley Bagots in Staffordshire. Bromley itself is derived from the Old English word bromleigh which means clearing where brambles are found. 1 2

Alternatively the name could have originated from the Old English words "brom" + "leah," and meant "woodland clearing where broom grows." 2 3

However, there are numerous villages and parishes named Bromley throughout Britain. One of the oldest was Bromley in Kent. "This place, which is supposed to have derived its name from the quantity of broom with which the neighbourhood abounds, was in the eighth century given by Ethelbert, King of Kent, to the bishops of Rochester, in whose possession it remained, with very little interruption, till the recent purchase of an estate in Essex for the see." 4

Early Origins of the Brumley family

The surname Brumley was first found in Staffordshire where one of the first records of the name was Geoffrey de Bromleye who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls list Robert de Bromlegh in Salop. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes de Bromylegh. 5

Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire "derives its distinguishing name from a Benedictine monastery founded at Blythebury, in the neighbourhood, in the latter part of the reign of Henry I., or the beginning of that of Stephen, by Hugh Mavesyn, and dedicated to St. Giles. " 4

King's Bromley, again in Staffordshire, "was anciently called Brom Legge, and derived its present name from having been the property of the crown for nearly two centuries after the Norman Conquest, previously to which time it had been distinguished as the residence of the earls of Mercia. Leofric, the husband of the famous Lady Godiva, died here in 1057; and she was herself buried here." 4

"Wootton Hall [in Wooton, Staffordshire], the seat of the Rev. Walter Davenport Bromley, who is owner of the village, is built on a spot than which, in the entire range of the vale of Dove, there is scarcely one more adapted for a noble mansion: its situation is a lofty sloping bank rising from a forest-like seclusion; and the landscape of mountain, meadow, and sylvan scenery is almost unbounded." 4 "The ancient manor of Alvaston [in Cheshire] was possessed by the Bromley family, but no manor now exists." 4

The markettown and parish of Bromley in Kent "is supposed to have derived its name from the quantity of broom with which the neighbourhood abounds, was in the eighth century given by Ethelbert, King of Kent, to the bishops of Rochester, in whose possession it remained, with very little interruption, till the recent purchase of an estate in Essex for the see. The episcopal residence had become so ruinous in 1184, that Gilbert de Glanvill was obliged to expend a considerable sum in repairing it. " 4

Early History of the Brumley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brumley research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1555, 1579, 1587, 1652, 1664, 1682, 1699, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1717, 1718, 1732 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Brumley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brumley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Brumley has undergone many spelling variations, including Bromley, Bromiley, Bromily, Bromly, Bromely, Bromly, Bromleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Brumley family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Bromley (d. 1555?), English judge of an old Staffordshire family, and a second cousin of Sir Thomas Bromley (1530-1587), son of Roger, son of Roger Bromley of Mitley, Shropshire. Sir Thomas Bromley (1530-1587) of Cheshire, was Lord Chancellor of England (1579-1587.) He was descended from an ancient family established since the time of King John at Bromleghe, Staffordshire. 6John Bromley (c.1652-1707), of White River, St. Philip's, Barbados, and Horseheath Hall, Cambridgeshire, was an English...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brumley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brumley Ranking

In the United States, the name Brumley is the 5,884^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Brumley migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Brumley were among those contributors:

Brumley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh Heinr Brumley, who landed in America in 1836 8

Brumley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Isabel Brumley, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
W. A. Brumley, aged 33, who immigrated to America, in 1908
Mrs. Norman Brumley, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
John Brumley, aged 28, who settled in America from Glencad, Ireland, in 1913
Frances Brumley, aged 27, who settled in America, in 1916
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Brumley migration to Australia +

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

Brumley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Brumley, aged 29, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Ramillies" 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Brumley (post 1700) +

Duff Lechaun Brumley (b. 1970), American retired Major League Baseball pitcher
Tony Mike Brumley (b. 1938), American retired Major League Baseball catcher
Albert Edward Brumley (1905-1977), American gospel music composer and publisher
Ben B. Brumley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1952 10
Clare-Louise Brumley, Australian cross country skier at the 2006 Winter Olympics
David Brumley, Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University
Brumley Marcum, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Kentucky State House of Representatives 97th District, 1975 11

The Brumley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non inferior secutus
Motto Translation: Not following meaner things.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
South Australian Register Tuesday 11 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILLIES 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/ramillies1853.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html