Byre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Byre comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who worked as a bird catcher or someone who had birdlike characteristics. 1

Early Origins of the Byre family

The surname Byre was first found in Cheshire at Broxton, a township, in the parish of Malpas, union of Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton. 2

"Its principal home is in the east of England, south of the Wash, especially in Norfolk. It is scattered about the midland counties, and is also represented in Somerset and Dorset. In other parts of England it is absent or rare, but in the county of Worcester its absence is supplied by Byrd." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: David le Brid, Oxfordshire; John le Brid, Oxfordshire; Stefan Brid, Suffolk; and Geoffrey Bryd, Salop (Shropshire.) 4

Over in Somerset, Henry le Brid, was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Bridde as holding lands there at that time. 4

Further to the north in Scotland, William Bird was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1443. 6

Early History of the Byre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byre research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1538, 1540, 1543, 1554, 1558, 1563, 1569, 1608, 1623, 1634, 1652, 1663, 1667, 1669, 1674, 1684, 1704, 1744 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Byre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byre Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Byre has undergone many spelling variations, including Bird, Byrd, Byrde and others.

Early Notables of the Byre family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Theophilus Bird, or Bourne, (1608-1663) an English actor; John Bird (died 1558), who was an English Carmelite monk and bishop.William Byrd (1540-1623), was an English composer who was supposed to have been the son of Thomas Byrd, a gentleman in the Chapel Royal under Edward VI and Mary. 7 "The precise date of his birth is unknown, but the fact of his having been senior chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1554, would...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Byre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Byre family to Ireland

Some of the Byre family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byre migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Byre were among those contributors:

Byre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Byre, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 8

The Byre Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cruce spes mea
Motto Translation: My hope is in the cross.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)