Corbie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Corbie family

The surname Corbie was first found in Cumberland, where "Alexander Corbie was retoured heir of Alexander Corbie, his father, in four sixteen parts of the lands of Luthrie, 1615 (Retours, Fife, 255). John Corbie, messenger in New Milne in 1676, and seven more of the name are recorded in the Kirkcudbright Commissariot Record in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries." 1

"Corbey is the Norman-French pronunciation of Corbet or Corbett." 2

Early History of the Corbie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corbie research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1558, 1598, 1604, 1615, 1637, 1644 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Corbie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corbie Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Corbie has been spelled Corby, Corbie and others.

Early Notables of the Corbie family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Gerard Corbie or Corbington (1558-1637), a Catholic exile, "a native of the county of Durham. He was a severe sufferer for his profession of the catholic faith, being compelled frequently to cross to...
Another son, Ambrose Corbie (Corby or Corbington) (1604-1649), an English Jesuit, teacher and author. He was one of the sons of Gerard Corbie and his wife, Isabella Richardson, was born near Durham on...

Migration of the Corbie family to Ireland

Some of the Corbie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Corbie family

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Benjamine Corby who settled in Maryland in 1775; Thomas and William settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1799 and 1846; respectively.

Contemporary Notables of the name Corbie (post 1700) +

Richard Corbie, Barrister and Politician, England

Citations +

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)
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)