Show ContentsSamborne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Samborne family

The surname Samborne was first found in Warwickshire at Sambourn, formerly spelled Sambourne, a hamlet and civil parish in the parish of Coughton and including Evesham Abbey. The name literally means "sandy stream" derived from the Old English "sand" + "burna" 1

The earliest reference to Sambourne is in 714 when it was listed as being given by Egwin Bishop of Worcester to the monastery at Evesham upon its foundation. Years later the Domesday Book 2 the village was listed as Sandburne and was held as "the land of the Church of Evesham." At that time, there was land for 4 ploughs, 2 slaves, 2 villagers and 4 smallholders with 3 ploughs and was worth 20-30 shillings.

By the seventeenth century, Sambourne was one of the earliest centers of the local needle-making industry, By the late 1800s, the village contained 662 residents and comprised 2,200 acres. Today, the village has 1,805 residents as of 2001 and is now largely agricultural.

One of the first records of the family was Peter de Samborne who was listed in Somerset in Kirby's Quest temp. 1 Edward III. 3 4 Philip de Sambourne was listed in 1297 and Peter de Samborne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327. 5

Early History of the Samborne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Samborne research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1577 and 1601 are included under the topic Early Samborne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Samborne Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Sambourne, Sambourn, Sanborn, Sanbounre, Sanborne, Samborn, Samburn, Sanburn, Sandborn, Sandorne, Sanbourne, Sandbourn, Samburne, Sandburn, Sandburne and many more.

Early Notables of the Samborne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Henry Samborne of Oxford and Moulsford in Berkshire


United States Samborne migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Samborne or a variant listed above:

Samborne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John and William Samborne (sometimes spelt Sanborn) and their grandfather, the Reverend Stephen Bachiler of Hampton, who all settled in Boston in 1632
  • John Samborne, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 6
  • William Samborne, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Samborne (post 1700) +

  • Mr. Samborne Cook, British sheriff, held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1905 to 1906


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  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. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. 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)


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