Urey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Early Origins of the Urey family

The surname Urey was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

One of the first records of the name was Adam Urri who appears as burgess of Irvine in 1260 and Huwe Urry of Ayrshire who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in his brief intrusion into Scotland in 1296. Reginald Urry held land in Irvine in 1323 and William Urri resigned the lands of Fulton in 1409. 1

Another branch of the family was found in the Fetteresso parish, Kincardineshire and for the most part, these names included "de" denoting "of." Hugh de Urre swore fealty at St. John of Perth and later with a different spelling as Hugh Uny at Forfar, 1296. 1 This latter entry is presumably another person rendering homage to King Edward I.

Further south in England where the Hurry, Hurrey and Hurrie variants tends to more popular, early records were typically found in the Latin form: Urrius de la haie c.1148 in Herefordshire; Walter, Herueus Urri in the Curia Regis Rolls for Surrey in 1208 and in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1209; Gilbert Uri in the Curia Regis Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1214; Alan Hurry in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1219; Geoffrey Orry in the Liber Feodorum for Shropshire in 1235; and later Walter Horry for the Isle of Wight in 1290; and John Ourry in 1297. 2

Early History of the Urey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Urey research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279, 1300, 1302, 1366, 1387, 1619, 1650, 1666, 1677, 1715, 1778 and 1857 are included under the topic Early Urey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Urey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Urie, Ure, Urey, Hurry, Hurrie, Horrey, Orrey and many more.

Early Notables of the Urey family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir John Urry (or Hurry) (died 1650), a Scottish professional soldier; and his brother, Sir William Urry (died 1677), a Scottish Royalist officer during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, he joined Charles II in exile during the Interregnum; and his son, John Urry (1666-1715), an Irish-born, Scottish noted literary editor and medieval scholar.Isaac Ewer, Ewers or Ewres (died c.1650), was an English soldier probably born in...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Urey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Urey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Urey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Ruby Urey, (b. 1801), aged 58, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 3
Mrs. Ann Urey, (b. 1817), aged 42, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 3
Miss Sarah Ann Urey, (b. 1836), aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 3
Miss Ruth Urey, (b. 1845), aged 14, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 3
Miss Charlotte Urey, (b. 1848), aged 11, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Urey (post 1700) +

Harold Clayton Urey (1893-1981), American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934

The Urey 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: Sans tache
Motto Translation: Without stain.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html