Show ContentsBysbey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Bysbey. The Bysbey family lived in East Renfrewshire at Busby, a village "partly in the parish of East Kilbride, Middle ward of the county of Lanark." 1 Alternatively the name could have been derived from Great Busby in Yorkshire which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 and was listed as Buschebi. 2 In either case, this place name is most likely derived from the Norman buki, meaning "bush" or "shrub."

Early Origins of the Bysbey family

The surname Bysbey was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland. The name is derived from "the lands of Busby or Busbie in the parish of Carmunnock, Renfrewshire.

In 1330, the office of notary was conferred on David de Busby of the diocese of Glasgow. " 3 Further to the south in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Ricardus de Busby, and Adam de Buskeby. 4

"During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries the Busbys of Radford and Gagingwell were well - to - do Enstone yeomen, who frequently filled the office of churchwarden and other places of trust. William Busby was one of the trustees for Lady Le Strange of Middleton in the reign of Henry VI.. William Busby, gent., was an assistant - burgess of Banbury in 1718, in which town the name still occurs. Busby is the name of a parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire." 5

Early History of the Bysbey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bysbey research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1408, 1411, 1488, 1491, 1526, 1606, 1635, 1644, 1648, 1695, 1755, 1769, 1786 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Bysbey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bysbey 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. Bysbey has been spelled Busby, Busbe, Busbie and others.

Early Notables of the Bysbey family

Notable amongst the family at this time was The Rev. Dr. Richard Busby (1606-1695), an English clergyman, and headmaster of Westminster School, buried in Westminster Abbey.Nathaniel Bisby or Bisbie (1635-1695), was an English divine, son of the Rev. John Bisbie, of Tipton, Staffordshire, who was ejected from a rebend in Lichfield Cathedral about 1644. At the Restoration he was resented to the rectory of Long Melford, Sudbury, Suffolk. He died 14 May 1695, and was buried at Long Melford. 6Thomas Busby was born in Westminster, 1755...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bysbey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bysbey family

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: Bridget Busby who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637; Anne Busby settled in Virginia in 1635; John Busby settled in Delaware in 1682; John Busby settled in Boston in 1637.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. 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)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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