Contents [hide]

Bryne History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bryne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland-Alt

The history of the name Bryne began when it was derived from Brian a "Celtic personal name of great antiquity, implying originally, regulus, or chieftain." 1

Early Origins of the Bryne family

The surname Bryne was first found in Denbigh, a market town in Denbighshire, North Wales. "The great baronial house of Bryan became extinct in the male line at the death in 1390 of Guy de Bryan, Baron Bryan who served as standard bearer to Edward III in the celebrated fight with the French at Calais. " 2

Another source claims the name came from three locations: Tor-Bryan in Devon; Langheren, in South Wales, and at Woodford Castle, county Dorset. "Of this family was the chivalrous Sir Guy Bryan, Lord Bryan, K.G. temp. Edward III., and standard bearer at the celebrated battle of Calais. " 1

This source continues "The Christian name Guy was frequent in the family." Yet another source claims a similar story with a different surname spelling. In this case, this source is referring to the parish of Slapton in Devon. "This place belonged to Sir Guy de Brien, Knt., standardbearer to Edward III., whom he attended at the battle of Calais in 1349, on which occasion, having greatly distinguished himself by his intrepidity, he was rewarded with a grant of 200 marks per annum, payable out of the exchequer during his life. Sir Guy founded a chantry in the church for a rector and four priests, and endowed it with £10 per annum in land, and with the advowson of the living." 3

"Slapton [Devon] belonged to the ancient family of De Brian as early as the reign of Henry II., and descended to the Percy Earls of Northumberland, as the representative of Sir Guy de Brian the younger, through the sole heiress. Guy de Brian, one of the first Knights of the Garter, founded a collegiate chantry at Slapton in 1373, and the remains of his house are known as Poole Priory." 4

"Tor Brian [in Devon] is linked with several names of note, the most famous of its early lords being one of the foremost of Devon's worthies. Sir Guy de Brian, standard-bearer to Edward III., did such service at Calais that he had a grant of 200 marks yearly out of the Exchequer. In 1354 he went to Rome with Henry, Duke of Lancaster, to procure a ratification of the league between England and France from the Pope. In 1370 he again served in France, and in the same year illustrated his many-sided character still further by becoming Admiral of the king's fleet. Edward showed his esteem for Sir Guy by choosing him one of the Knights of the Garter. De Brian served Richard II. with equal success in France and in Ireland, by land and by sea, in the camp and in the court. He founded and endowed a collegiate church in his manor of Slapton, already noted, and died at an advanced age in 1391, leaving two granddaughters only. " 4

Early History of the Bryne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bryne research. Another 258 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1150, 1296, 1471, 1490, 1500, 1518, 1549, 1621, 1662, 1668, 1676, 1694, 1699 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bryne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bryne Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Bryan, Bryant, Brian, Breine, Brine, Bryand, Briand, Briant, Bryane and many more.

Early Notables of the Bryne family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Albertus Bryne (Bryan) (Brian) (ca. 1621-1668), was an English organist and composer and was educated by John Tomkins, organist of St. Paul's

Migration of the Bryne family to Ireland

Some of the Bryne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bryne migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bryne were among those contributors:

Bryne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hanah Bryne, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 5
Bridged Bryne, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 5
Derby Bryne, who landed in Maryland in 1679 5
John Bryne, who landed in Maryland in 1679 5
Mary Bryne, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bryne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Bryne, who landed in Virginia in 1741 5

Bryne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Bryne, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1860 5

Bryne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bryne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Bryne, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Sea Horse" in 1833
Michael Bryne, aged 22, who landed in Quebec in 1848

Bryne migration to Australia +

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

Bryne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Bryne, (b. 1801), aged 30, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Thomas Bryne, (b. 1817), aged 21, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 29th December 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7

Bryne 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:

Bryne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur Bryne, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
Mr. James Bryne (Byne), (b. 1837), aged 28, British blacksmith travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Bryne (post 1700) +

Barbara Bryne (1929-2023), English-born, American actress of film, theatre and television, known for Amadeus (1984), American Playhouse (1982) and The Bostonians (1984)

Historic Events for the Bryne family +

SS Atlantic

Mr. Thomas Bryne, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

SS Caribou

Mr. William Bryne (b. 1908), Newfoundland passenger from Rencontre East, Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he died in the sinking

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html