Aberbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Aberbury family

The surname Aberbury was first found in Oxfordshire at either East Adderbury or West Adderbury, Saxon villages and civil parishes that date back to c. 950 when there were listed collectively as Eadburggebyrig. Over one hundred years later in the Domesday Book of 1086, they were listed as Edburgberie and were held by Robert from Robert of Stafford, a Norman noble. 1

Literally the place names mean "stronghold of a woman called Eadburh," from the Old English personal name + "burh." 2

Another reference claims the place name was derived from St. Edburgh, to whom many religious establishments in this part of the country were dedicated. In the court rolls of New College, Oxford, the placename is written as Ebberbury. "Donnington Castle [in Donnington, Berkshire], built by Sir Richard de Abberbury, who was guardian to Richard II. in his minority, stood upon a declivity, at the foot of which runs the river Kennet. It was garrisoned for Charles I., and withstood two sieges during the civil war, in the first of which three of its towers were demolished, and in 1644 it was almost battered down by Colonel Dalbier, from whom a field in the vicinity, in which he planted his cannon, is still named. The only remains of this once impregnable fortress consist of a gateway flanked by two towers, a great portion of the ruins having been removed for the erection of a house near the site. A friary of the order of the Holy Trinity was also founded by Sir Richard de Abberbury. An hospital, called God's House, is supposed to have been founded, in 1392, by the same individual." 3

Early History of the Aberbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aberbury research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1654, 1656, 1660, 1663, 1693, 1713, 1723, 1731, 1732, 1773, 1775, 1778 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Aberbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aberbury Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Adderbury, Atterbury, AdderBerry, Adderberrie, Adderborrow, Adderbry and many more.

Early Notables of the Aberbury family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Lewis Atterbury DD the Elder (died 1693), Rector of Great or Broad Risington in Gloucestershire in 1654, Chaplain to Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1660; and his son, Francis Atterbury (1663-1732), English man of letters, politician and Bishop of...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aberbury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aberbury family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Aberbury or a variant listed above: Thomas Adderby, who came to Virginia in 1637.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.