Contents [hide]

Burne History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Burne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

Burne was first used as a surname in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Briton. The first Burne family lived in the county of Cumberland. On the onset, it is best first to establish that the family name Burns is in fact a Clan rather than a Sept of the Campbell Clan. A Roll of the Clans and Chiefs in 1597 shows the Burns Clan as having territories in the eastern Border marches of Scotland in East Teviotdale.

They were described as an unruly Clan. However, to relate the origins of this great Clan, we must go back to the year 1329, when their territories were located in the parish of Glenbervie. They had moved into these lands during the reign of King Edward I of England, from Burneshead, Cumberland, sometime around 1296.

Little is known about their previous history, but it is thought that they derived from a race called the Boernicians, a race of early Scots that ruled the north East coast of England as far north as Edinburgh. By 1375, the Clan had extended its territories to include Burnhouse of Kair, Burnside of Monboddo, Bralinmuir and Bon Jordan in Inchbreck, and Bernys in the barony of Renfrew.

"But for the name of the Scottish poet, genealogists north of the Tweed have a different origin - His forefathers are said to have come from Taynuilt or Burnhouse there, and emigrated to Forfarshire, where they - of course they were Campbells - were designated by the name Campbells of Burnhouse, and latterly Burness or simply Burns." 1

Further to the south in England, there is another possible origin of the name: "this surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the burn,' i.e. stream; Middle English burne or bourne. More especially parishes in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Hampshire." 2

Early Origins of the Burne family

The surname Burne was first found in Cumberland, where the original name was Burness. Even Robert Burns and his brother both agreed to shorten their name to Burns due to the difficulty in pronunciation by the Gaelic tongue. Later, the name was also spelled Bourne, Burn and even Bernes.

The famed Robert "Rabbie" Burns (1759-1796), Scottish poet and lyricist is best known as the national poet of Scotland, and author of "Auld Lang Syne." He was born in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland and was eldest of the seven children of William Burnes (1721-1784), a self-educated tenant farmer.

Early History of the Burne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burne research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1603, 1741, 1759, 1796, 1851, 1877 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Burne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burne Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Burne has been spelled Burns, Burnes, Burness and others.

Early Notables of the Burne family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burne family to Ireland

Some of the Burne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burne migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Burne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Randall Burne, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 3
Randall Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1658 3
John Burne, who landed in Maryland in 1674 3
William Burne, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 3

Burne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
Ellinor Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
James Burne, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 3
Robert Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
Bran Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Burne, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 3
James Burne, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 3
Percy Burne, who landed in New York in 1836 3
Mr. John Burne, (b. 1862), aged 27, Cornish mason departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving in the United States on 8 April 1889 4
Mr. William Burne, (b. 1869), aged 20, Cornish mason departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving in the United States on 8 April 1889 4

Burne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Michael Burne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Robert Burne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Burne migration to Australia +

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

Burne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Eleanor Burne, (Boin, Byrne), Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. James Burne, (Byrne), (b. 1798), aged 19, Irish carpenter who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 25th May 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1838 6
John Burne, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Indian" 7
Charlotte Burne, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indian" in 1849 7
Mary Burne, aged 23, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burne 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:

Burne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Burne, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mrs. Jane J Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
Mr. William C. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
Mr. John B. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
Miss Isabella J. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Burne (post 1700) +

Christopher F. Burne, United States Air Force Lieutenant General and current Judge Advocates General of the Air Force
Nancy Burne (1907-1954), English stage and film actress
Loh Gwo Burne (b. 1974), Malaysian politician
Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850-1923), English author and editor, the first woman to become president of the Folklore Society
Alfred Higgins Burne (1886-1959), British soldier and military historian who invented the concept of Inherent Military Probability
Burne Hogarth (1911-1996), American cartoonist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip
Burne Hogarth (1911-1996), American cartoonist, illustrator, educator and author, eponym of the Engravers' Copyright Act, better known as Hogarth's Act which gave protection to producers of engravings

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 20th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The INDIAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Indian.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The MARION 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Marion.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html