Tilbey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Tilbey was first found in Essex at Tilbury, a town in the borough of Thurrock. Tilbury dates back to 731 when it was listed as Tilaburg, but by the Domesday Book of 1086, the town's name ha devolved to Tiliberia. 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the village and lands of Tilbury, held by Randolph from Earl William de Warren, who was recorded in the Domesday Book. There are various theories of how the town got it's name, but the strongest theory is that it literally meant "stronghold of a man called Tila," from the Old English personal name + "burgh." 2 where the word Tila means "the useful one." The settlement dates back to Roman times where there is archaeological evidence of a Roman settlement on the site of what is now Tilbury Docks. Tilbury is home to a 16th-century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry that dates back to at least 1640.