Show ContentsButtery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Buttery family name to the British Isles. They lived in Buckinghamshire. The name Buttery refers to the family's original place of residence, Boteri in Falaise, Normandy, where they lived prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed "Roger de Boteri, Alvered, John, and Roger occur in Normandy 1180-1198." 1

Alternatively the name could have been an occupational name as "derived from an official title. 'at the buttery.' The keeper of the butlery, or store for liquor; 'buttery-bar.' (Shakespeare) " 2

Early Origins of the Buttery family

The surname Buttery was first found in Buckinghamshire where William Buteri was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1177. A few years later in Herefordshire, Reginald Boteri was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1211. In Suffolk, William de Buteri was listed in the same rolls of 1219. Over one hundred years later, John de la Buterye was listed in the Feet of Fines for Staffordshire in 1334. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William Boter in Gloucestershire. 1

Early History of the Buttery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buttery research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1530, 1669 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Buttery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buttery Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Buttery, Buttry, Butry and others.

Early Notables of the Buttery family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Falk Buttery


United States Buttery migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Buttery or a variant listed above:

Buttery Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Margaret Buttery who settled in Virginia in 1655
Buttery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • E Buttery, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
  • John Henry Buttery, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856
  • Nellie Buttery, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Castleford, in 1899
Buttery Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Gertrude Buttery, aged 23, who landed in America from Normanton, in 1905
  • Saml. Buttery, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Dunston, in 1906
  • Margret Buttery, aged 40, who landed in America from London, England, in 1908
  • Frank Buttery, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1908
  • Emma Buttery, aged 35, who settled in America from Sheffield, England, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Buttery migration to Australia +

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

Buttery Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Buttery, English convict who was convicted in Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

New Zealand Buttery 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:

Buttery Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Buttery, who landed in Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand in 1843

Contemporary Notables of the name Buttery (post 1700) +

  • Frank Buttery (1851-1902), American National Association professional baseball player who played during the 1872 season for the Middletown Mansfields
  • Arthur Buttery (1908-1990), English professional footballer
  • John Buttery, English merchant operating in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore
  • Reece Buttery, British actor, known for his roles in The Dumping Ground (2013), Gangsta Granny (2013) and One Night (2012)
  • Guy Buttery, South African guitar player


  1. 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)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie


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