Blackburne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Blackburne surname lived in the town of Blackburn in the county of Lancashire. This place-name is derived from the Old English word burn, meaning stream, and referred to a stream in a dark area, or where the water was muddy. 1
Early Origins of the Blackburne family
The surname Blackburne was first found in Lancashire at Blackburn, a parish, and the head of a union, in the Lower division of the hundred of Blackburn. "This place takes its name from a small rivulet near the town, which, from the turbid state of the water, was anciently called Blakeburn, or "the yellow bourne." A castle is said to have been built here, probably by the Romans, which, after their departure from the island, was occupied successively by the Britons and the Saxons; but there are no vestiges of it, nor can even its site be distinctly ascertained. Blackburn was formerly the capital of a district called Blackburnshire." 2
The earliest record of the family was Henry de Blackeburn who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1206. 3
Early records of one branch of the family were found in Garston, Lancashire. "Robert de Blackburn held Garston for nearly forty years, dying about the year 1354; his wife Ellen is mentioned in 1332. He acquired various portions of land from the minor owners. Robert de Blackburn was succeeded by his eldest son John, who even before his father's death seems to have taken an active part in managing the estate. (fn. 35) He was lord of the manor for about fifty years, dying on 8 January, 1404-5, and during this long period seems to have been constantly acquiring fresh portions of land." 4
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus de Blakburn; Cristoforus de Blakeburn; and Johannes de Blakburn. A few years later, John de Blakeburne was listed in the Preston Guild Rolls of 1397. 5
Further to the north in Scotland, the name was derived from "one or other of several small places so named. Willelmus de Blakeburne was witness in 1243 to the ratification of the gift of the church of Lescelyn to Lundors. Robert de Blakeburne of Berwickshire rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. William de Blakburne appears as Abbot of Cambuskenneth, 1394. 6
Early History of the Blackburne family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackburne research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1243, 1296, 1501, 1652, 1658, 1669, 1683, 1690, 1700, 1705, 1741, 1743 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Blackburne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blackburne Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Blackburne are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Blackburne include: Blackburn, Blackbyrn, Blackbirn, Blackburne, Blackborn, Blagburn, Blackbyrne and many more.
Early Notables of the Blackburne family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Lancelot Blackburne (sometimes Blackburn or Blackbourne), (1658-1743), an English clergyman, who became Archbishop of York, and some believe to have been a pirate. He was the son of Richard Blackburne...
- Richard Blackburne (b. 1652), was an English physician, born in London in 1652, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took his degree of B.A. in 1669
- John Blackburne (1690-1786), was an English botanist, of Orford, near Warrington who maintained an extensive garden, including very many exotic species. 7
Blackburne migration to the United States +
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Blackburne or a variant listed above:
Blackburne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Blackburne, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 8
- Eliz Blackburne, who landed in Virginia in 1658 8
- Edw Blackburne, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 8
- Robert Blackburne, who landed in Maryland in 1668 8
Blackburne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Christopher Blackburne, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1701 8
- Rowland Blackburne, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 8
- Catherine Blackburne, who settled in New England in 1754
Blackburne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Blackburne, aged 29, who landed in New York in 1812 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Blackburne (post 1700) +
- Laura D. Blackburne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 9
- Elmer H. Blackburne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1984 9
- The Very Rev Lionel Edward Blackburne (1874-1951), English Anglican priest, Archdeacon of Surrey, Dean of Ely 10
- John Ireland Blackburne (1783-1874), British Conservative politician 11
- John Ireland Blackburne (1817-1893), British army officer and Conservative politician 12
- Sir Kenneth William Blackburne (1907-1980), British colonial official, best known as the first governor-general of Jamaica
- Arthur Blackburne Poynton (1867-1944), English classical scholar, Master of University College, Oxford (1935-1937)
Citations +
- Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Lionel Blackburne. (Retrieved 2010, October 7) Lionel Blackburne. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Edward_Blackburne
- John Blackburne. (Retrieved 2010, October 7) John Blackburne. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ireland_Blackburne_(1783%E2%80%931874)
- John Blackburne. (Retrieved 2010, October 7) John Blackburne. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ireland_Blackburne_(1817%E2%80%931893)