Bruse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

Bruse is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bruse family lived in Normandy. The exact location of the place from which the family name is derived is under dispute, as one may perhaps expect of such a prominent name. The traditional interpretation is that the name is derived from the place-name Brix, in La Manche. It is argued, however, that there is no real evidence in support of this, and that the name is actually derived from the place-name Le Brus, in Calvados. 1 A surname based upon an already existing place-name is called a habitation name.

Early Origins of the Bruse family

The surname Bruse was first found in Yorkshire where early record of the family found them at Middlesbrough, a town and parish, on the river Tees. "This place, at a very early period, had a chapel dedicated to St. Hilda, which, in the reign of Henry I., was granted by Robert de Brus to the monks of Whitby Abbey, on condition of their founding here a cell to that monastery; this condition was fulfilled, and the institution that was established continued to flourish till the Dissolution." 2

"The family of Brutz, Brus or Bruce assumed its name from the Castle of La Brusce in Normandy, seventeen miles from Valognes, which was built by Robert de Brutz, or Brusce, a councillor to Duke Robert. His youngest son, Robert de Brutz, or in English, Brus, together with William, his son, followed the standard of their kinsman, the Conqueror, into England, where Robert is said to have died, very shortly after the battle at Hastings. William, his son, had the castle of Brember, in Sussex, and his descendants for several generations held rank as Barons of the realm. Adam, or Adelm de Brus, the second brother of William, came into England in 1050, attending Queen Emma; but, after her death, retired into Scotland. He joined his father and brother in the conquest of England, and for his services was rewarded with ninety-four lordships in Yorkshire. He died in 1079, and his son Robert is recorded in Domesday Book. He built the castle of Skelton, and founded the priory of Gisborough, in 1119; was at the battle of the Standard, in 1135; and died 1111." 3

Skelton in the West Riding of Yorkshire held a special significance to the ancient family. "This place was given at the Conquest to Robert de Brus, a Norman Baron who came over with William, and who erected a castle here, of which scarcely any vestiges remain, the whole having been modernised in 1794. From this baron descended some of the kings of Scotland, and the present family of Bruce, marquesses of Ailesbury. The ancient manor [of Skinningrove] belonged to the Bruces, lords of Skelton, and came by marriage to the Thwengs, of Kilton." 2

In the North Riding of Yorkshire at Liverton, other early records of the family were found. "This place, which at the time of the Domesday Survey was a barren and unprofitable waste, was granted by the Conqueror to Robert de Brus, lord of Skelton." 2

"Robert de Brus was at the battle of Hastings, and held a great barony of ninety-four manors in Yorkshire 4, where he built Skelton Castle. Either he or his son of the same name (from the dates probably the son, as it is scarcely likely that the elder Robert should have outlived the Conquest for seventy-five years) married Agnes daughter of Fulk de Paganell, who brought him as her dowry Hart and Hartnesse in the Bishopric of Durham, "the maritime key of the Palatinate." How he acquired Annandale and his great Scottish estates is not so clear. Some say they were a grant from David I., having from his youth been "a friend and familiar of the King of Scots" at the court of his brother-in-law Henry I.; others believe that his second wife was Agnes of Annan, a Scottish heiress. " 5

Robert I de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale (c.1070-1142) was the first of the Bruce family to hold lands in Scotland. He founded Gisborough Priory in Yorkshire, in present-day Redcar and Cleveland, in 1119. Close friends with David FitzMalcolm, later known as King David I of Scotland, he was granted extensive lands in he Cotentin Peninsula c. 1120.

William de Broase (d. 1211), was a "rebel Baron, the descendant and heir of William de Braose (alias Braiose, Breause, Brehus, &c.), Lord of Braose, near Falaise in Normandy, who had received great estates in England at the Conquest. The family fixed their seat at Bramber in Sussex, and were lords of its appendant rape. " 6

Early History of the Bruse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bruse research. Another 272 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1271, 1274, 1329, 1635, 1660, 1684, 1686, 1693, 1730, 1735 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bruse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruse Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Bruce, Brus (Gaelic), Bruys, Bruse and others.

Early Notables of the Bruse family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Bruce (1274-1329), King of Scotland. His body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey, while his heart is buried in Melrose Abbey. His embalmed...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bruse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bruse family to Ireland

Some of the Bruse family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bruse migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Bruse or a variant listed above were:

Bruse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rich Bruse, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 7
James Bruse, who landed in Virginia in 1645 7
Francis Bruse, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 7

Bruse Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Bruse, who landed in Virginia in 1702 7

Bruse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bernhardine Bruse, who arrived in St Louis, Missouri in 1838 7
Elis Bruse, who landed in Texas in 1846 7

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)