Show ContentsCorbraik History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Corbraik family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Corbridge, a parish in Northumberland. The place name meant "bridge near Corchester." It is made up of two elements, Cor, a diminutive of the place name Corchester, and brycg, an Old English word for bridge.

"This place, which is of great antiquity, appears to have been known to the Romans, who, at a short distance to the west, had a station on the line of the Watling-street, supposed by Camden to have been the Curia Ottadinarum of Ptolemy, and by Horsley the Corstopitum of Antoninus, and which is now called Corchester. " 1

Early Origins of the Corbraik family

The surname Corbraik was first found in Northumberland at Corbridge which dates back to at least 1050 when it was listed as Corebricg. It is believed to be the most northerly town in the Roman Empire and ruins of a Roman fort can still be seen there today.

By 1138, King David of Scotland, had made frequent incursions into the English territories and had encamped his forces here, but was subsequently burnt by the Scots in 1296, and again in 1311. From its great importance, King John, expecting to find concealed treasure, directed a search, but found nothing.

The Battle of Corbridge took place at Corbridge in 918. It decided the fate of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria and the English Earldom of Bamburgh.

Thomas of Corbridge (d. 1304), was Archbishop of York and probably native of the little town of Corbridge on the Upper Tyne, near Hexham. 2

Early History of the Corbraik family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corbraik research. Another 23 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1299, 1304 and 1312 are included under the topic Early Corbraik History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corbraik Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Corbraik include Corbridge, Corbreyke, Corbreake, Corbig and others.

Early Notables of the Corbraik family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Corbraik Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Corbraik family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Corbraik or a variant listed above: William Corbridge, who arrived in New York in 1831; Thomas Corbridge, who came to New York in 1831; Susan Corbridge, who came to New York in 1831; Rachael Corbridge, who arrived in New York in 1831.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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