Show ContentsNoras History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Noras is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a person from the north. The surname is usually derived from the Anglo-French words noreis and norreis, which both mean northerner. [1] Occasionally, Noras is an occupational name for a nurse; in this case, the derivation is from the Old French word norrice, which means nurse. Lastly, the surname Noras is sometimes a local surname for a "dweller at the north house." [2]

Early Origins of the Noras family

The surname Noras was first found in Hampstead Norreys (Hampstead Norris), a village and civil parish in Berkshire. Dating back to the Domesday Book, where it was listed as Hanstede [3], the village is today still noted for its Norman parish church and the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle nearby.

"Petrus Norreis" is found in the Norman Exchequer Rolls, about 1198, and several of the name in England at the same date. [4] "Henry le Norreys was seized of estates in Nottinghamshire, which on his death King John granted to Alan le Norreys, his brother." [5]

Another noted source claims: "Their undoubted ancestor was Richard de Norreys, the favourite cook of Henry III.'s Queen, Eleanor of Provence, who was rewarded in 1267 by a grant of the manor of Ocholt in Berk­shire, "subject to a fee farm rent of 40s., and stated to have been an encroach­ment from the forest." [6]

The village of Hampstead Norreys changed its name to Hampstede Norreys, when the Norreys family bought the manor in 1448. A branch of the family was found in Speke, Lancashire where at one time they held Speke Hall. "The Norris family had, however, before this begun to acquire lands in the township, Alan le Norreys of Speke being apparently the first to do so. A younger son of Alan, John le Norreys, established himself at Woolton. John's elder son John, who succeeded, is mentioned in the settlement made by Sir Henry le Norreys in 1367." [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include an entry for Thomas le Noreis, but no county was given. The Writs of Parliament list Walter le Noreis, 1313 and again, no county was recorded. [7]

In the 14th century, some of the family were found in West Derby, Lancashire. "The Norris family had an estate here in the fourteenth century, acquired by William, a younger son of John le Norreys of Speke. It descended in the fifteenth century to Thomas Norris, whose daughter and heir Lettice married her distant cousin Thomas Norris of Speke, and so carried the estate back to the parent stock. One of their grandsons, William Norris, was settled here, his estate remaining with his descendants to the end of the seventeenth century. The family remained constant to the Roman Church and had to face loss and suffering in consequence, especially during the Commonwealth; thus the threat of a fresh outbreak of persecution as a result of the Oates plot appears to have broken the resolution of 'Mr. Norris of Derby,' who conformed to the legally established religion in 1681. Norris Green is supposed to indicate the site of their estate." [4]

"From the de Erneys it came, also by marriage, to the family of Norres, of whom was Sir William Norres, who brought from the palace of Holyrood, at Edinburgh, part of the royal library and some curious pieces of fine oak wainscot, to Speke Hall: this mansion was re-erected by Sir Edward Norres. The family retained the manor until the 18th century, when their heiress married Lord Sidney Beauclerk, fifth son of Charles, Duke of St. Alban's; whose grandson, Charles George, sold Speke to the Watt family. The great hall is very lofty, with wainscot and a ceiling of oak, and having a mantelpiece brought from Holyrood: at each angle of the southern wall, within the court, are two spacious corbelled windows, one of which lights the hall. The house was originally surrounded by a moat, of which the outlines remain, and over which a bridge leads to the principal entrance. The whole forms a highly interesting specimen of old English domestic architecture." [8]

Early History of the Noras family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Noras research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1433, 1450, 1481, 1507, 1525, 1564, 1572, 1575, 1579, 1584, 1597, 1599, 1601, 1603, 1622, 1658, 1670, 1671, 1675, 1702, 1711, 1724, 1735, 1749, 1777 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Noras History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Noras Spelling Variations

Noras has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Noras have been found, including Norreys, Norris, Norres, Norrice, Norrish and others.

Early Notables of the Noras family

Distinguished members of the family include Lady Alice Norreys (c. 1405-1450), an English Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter; Sir William Norreys (1433-1507), a famous Lancastrian soldier, and later an Esquire of the Body to King Edward IV; Henry Norris "Norreys" (1525-1601), created 1st Baron Norreys in 1572; Francis Norris (1579-1622), 2nd Baron Norreys, who was made Earl of Berkshire and Viscount Thame in 1622, one day...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Noras Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Noras family to Ireland

Some of the Noras family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Noras family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Norass to arrive on North American shores: Edward Norris, who came to Salem in 1630; Able and Thomas Norrice, who settled in Virginia in 1643; Richard Norris, who settled in Virginia in 1643; Samuel Norris, who arrived in Barbados with his servants in 1679.



The Noras 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: Feythfully serve
Motto Translation: Faithfully serve


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. 'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
  5. 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)
  6. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  8. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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