Bryning History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe name Bryning is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a person with brown hair or a dark complexion. The surname Bryning is derived from the Old English word bruning, which was in common usage until the 14th century. 1 This word is itself a derivative of the word brun, which means brown. The name was in usage as a personal name as early as 1086, when Bruning de Cestretona was recorded as a holding lands in Cambridgeshire. 2 Early Origins of the Bryning familyThe surname Bryning was first found in Cambridgeshire but by the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name had scattered throughout most of ancient Britain. By example, that rolls listed Henry Brunwyne, Staffordshire; John Brunwyn, Suffolk; Richard Brunwyn, Lincolnshire; Avice Bruning, Cambridgeshire; John Bruning, Norfolk; Roger Bruning, London; and Ivo Brunig, Huntingdonshire. 3 Kirby's Quest listed the name as a forename and a surname: Brounyng le Fox, Somerset, 1 Edward I; and Brounyng Bycheheye, Somerset, 1 Edward I (during the first year of King Edward I's reign.) 4 "Browning is an old and often distinguished county name: there was an ancient family of this name at Cowley, [in Oxfordshire] where they long resided." 5 As time moved on, spellings changed. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Agnes Brownyng, a spelling closer to the spellings used today. 3 A little further to the north in Scotland, early records there included John Brwnyng, as one of the "burgenses rure manentes" of Aberdeen, 1317, and "Sir John Browning was sheriff there in 1328. Willelmus Bronnyng in the parish of Fyvy was excommunicated in 1382. " 6 Early History of the Bryning familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bryning research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1291, 1328, 1382, 1580, 1584, 1634, 1639, 1647, 1658, 1664, 1667 and 1682 are included under the topic Early Bryning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bryning Spelling VariationsBryning has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Bryning have been found, including Browning, Brownyng, Bruning, Brownigg, Brownygg and many more. Early Notables of the Bryning familyNotables of the family at this time include John Browning (fl. 1584), English divine, matriculated as a sizar at Trinity College, Cambridge, on 14 Nov. 1658. On 8 July 1580 Browning was created D.D. at Oxford. Another John Browning was... Migration of the Bryning familyIn an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Brynings to arrive on North American shores: John Browning who settled in Virginia in 1621; followed by George Browning settled in Virginia in 1635; Henry Browning settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637.
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