Marbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Marbury is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Marbury family lived in Cheshire, at the manor of Marbury, from whence they took their name. However, we must look to Normandy to find the first record of the family. It was there that "Nicholas Merbury, Butler of the King, Normandy" 1 was found 1180-1195.

Alternatively, the family could have descended from Marlborough, a borough and market-town, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Selkley in Wiltshire.

"The name, anciently written Marleberg, or Marlbridge, is supposed to be derived from the marl, or chalk, hills by which the town is surrounded. At the time of the Norman survey [(1086]), Marlborough had a church, and was held in royal demesne; soon after, a castle was erected, which seems to have been the cause of the subsequent enlargement of the town. In the time of Richard I., and during his imprisonment in Austria, his brother John took possession of this fortress; but Richard, on his return from captivity, seized it, with all the other possessions belonging to his brother, and on their reconciliation he still retained the castle of Marlborough in his own hands. " 2 In this case, the first on record was Alured de Merleberge who held lands here at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. 1

Early Origins of the Marbury family

The surname Marbury was first found in Cheshire at Marbury, a township, in the parish of Great Budworth, union of Northwich, hundred of Bucklow. 2 3

The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Merberie and was held by William Malbank, who held them from Earl Harold. 4 Literally, it means "fortified place near a lake," from the Old English words "mere" + "burh." 5

One of the first records of the family in England was Thomas of Marlborough (died 1236), a medieval English monk and writer, Abbot of Evesham Abbey in 1230.

A few years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed John de Marleberge as holding lands in Oxfordshire at that time. 3

Early History of the Marbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marbury research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1414, 1425, 1456, 1528, 1555, 1610, 1611, 1626 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marbury Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Marbury are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Marbury include Marbury, Marburie, Marberrie, MarBerry, Merbury, Marburry, Marburrie, Marbery, Marberie and many more.

Early Notables of the Marbury family

More information is included under the topic Early Marbury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marbury Ranking

In the United States, the name Marbury is the 15,421^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Marbury family to Ireland

Some of the Marbury family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marbury migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Marbury, or a variant listed above:

Marbury Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Marbury, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 7
Richard Marbury, who settled in Virginia in 1643

Contemporary Notables of the name Marbury (post 1700) +

Charles Clagett Marbury (d. 1991), American politician, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1931 and State Senator in 1941
Ogle Marbury (1882-1973), American jurist, Attorney General of Maryland in 1919, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals (1944-1952)
Elisabeth "Bessy" Marbury (1856-1933), American theatrical and literary agent and producer
William Marbury (1762-1835), American businessman and one of the "midnight judges" appointed by President John Adams, plaintiff in the 1803 Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison
Stephon Xavier Marbury (b. 1977), American professional NBA basketball player, an NBA All-Star in 2001 and 2003
William L. Marbury, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Maryland, 1894-98 8
Ogle Marbury (1882-1973), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates, 1910-12; Maryland State Attorney General, 1919; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1920 8
Horatio Marbury, American politician, Secretary of State of Georgia, 1799-1811 8
Elizabeth Marbury, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932; Member of Democratic National Committee from New York, 1920 8

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html