Warbrigg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Warbrigg is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in an area known as Swarbrick found in the parish of Kirkham in the county of Lancashire. The surname was originally derived from the Old Norman byname svartrbrekka when translated means the dweller on the black slope. The surname Warbrigg is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area.

Early Origins of the Warbrigg family

The surname Warbrigg was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century in the area of Wimmerleigh or Wimmerley in Lancashire. 1

Early History of the Warbrigg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warbrigg research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1581, 1622 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Warbrigg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warbrigg Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Warbrigg family name include Swarbrick, Swarbrigg, Swartbrick, Swartbrigg, Swartbrecke, Swartbreck, Swartbregg, Swarbrooke and many more.

Early Notables of the Warbrigg family

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

Migration of the Warbrigg family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Warbrigg surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Dorothy Swarbrooke settled in Maryland in 1661; John Swarbeck settled in Virginia in 1624 soon after the arrival of the Mayflower.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)