Briant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient surname Briant came from Brian a "Celtic personal name of great antiquity, implying originally, regulus, or chieftain." 1
Early Origins of the Briant family
The surname Briant was first found in Denbigh, a market town in Denbighshire, North Wales. "The great baronial house of Bryan became extinct in the male line at the death in 1390 of Guy de Bryan, Baron Bryan who served as standard bearer to Edward III in the celebrated fight with the French at Calais. " 2
Another source claims the name came from three locations: Tor-Bryan in Devon; Langheren, in South Wales, and at Woodford Castle, county Dorset. "Of this family was the chivalrous Sir Guy Bryan, Lord Bryan, K.G. temp. Edward III., and standard bearer at the celebrated battle of Calais. " 1
This source continues "The Christian name Guy was frequent in the family." Yet another source claims a similar story with a different surname spelling. In this case, this source is referring to the parish of Slapton in Devon. "This place belonged to Sir Guy de Brien, Knt., standardbearer to Edward III., whom he attended at the battle of Calais in 1349, on which occasion, having greatly distinguished himself by his intrepidity, he was rewarded with a grant of 200 marks per annum, payable out of the exchequer during his life. Sir Guy founded a chantry in the church for a rector and four priests, and endowed it with £10 per annum in land, and with the advowson of the living." 3
"Slapton [Devon] belonged to the ancient family of De Brian as early as the reign of Henry II., and descended to the Percy Earls of Northumberland, as the representative of Sir Guy de Brian the younger, through the sole heiress. Guy de Brian, one of the first Knights of the Garter, founded a collegiate chantry at Slapton in 1373, and the remains of his house are known as Poole Priory." 4
"Tor Brian [in Devon] is linked with several names of note, the most famous of its early lords being one of the foremost of Devon's worthies. Sir Guy de Brian, standard-bearer to Edward III., did such service at Calais that he had a grant of 200 marks yearly out of the Exchequer. In 1354 he went to Rome with Henry, Duke of Lancaster, to procure a ratification of the league between England and France from the Pope. In 1370 he again served in France, and in the same year illustrated his many-sided character still further by becoming Admiral of the king's fleet. Edward showed his esteem for Sir Guy by choosing him one of the Knights of the Garter. De Brian served Richard II. with equal success in France and in Ireland, by land and by sea, in the camp and in the court. He founded and endowed a collegiate church in his manor of Slapton, already noted, and died at an advanced age in 1391, leaving two granddaughters only. " 4
Early History of the Briant family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Briant research. Another 258 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1150, 1296, 1471, 1490, 1500, 1518, 1549, 1621, 1662, 1668, 1676, 1694, 1699 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Briant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Briant Spelling Variations
Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Bryan, Bryant, Brian, Breine, Brine, Bryand, Briand, Briant, Bryane and many more.
Early Notables of the Briant family
Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was Sir Thomas Bryan KS KB (died 1500), a British justice, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1471-1500); and his son, Sir Thomas Bryan (died 1518) was an English courtier during the reign of Henry VIII; Sir Francis Bryan (ca. 1490-1549), English nobleman, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland; John Bryan, D.D...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Briant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Briant Ranking
In France, the name Briant is the 2,576th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Briant family to Ireland
Some of the Briant family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Briant migration to the United States +
Early immigration records have shown some of the first of the name Briant to arrive on North American shores were:
Briant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Briant, who arrived in Maryland in 1633-1634 6
- Darby Briant, who landed in Maryland in 1678 6
- William Briant, who landed in Maryland in 1679 6
Briant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Patrick Briant, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1769 6
Briant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Louis Briant, who landed in New York in 1822 6
- Mr. Briant, aged 30, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1850 6
- E G Briant, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Briant migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Briant Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
- Miss Mary Briant, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Briant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Briant, British convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 8
- Mr. John Briant, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Mr. Stephen Briant, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
- Mr. James Briant, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
- Mr. John Briant, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Briant 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:
Briant Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. Charles Henry Briant, (b. 1843), aged 22, British shepherd travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 1st January 1866 13
Contemporary Notables of the name Briant (post 1700) +
- Shane Briant (1946-2021), English-born, Australian actor and novelist, best known for his roles in Demons of the Mind, Straight on Till Morning, Captain Kronos-Vampire Hunter, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
- Vincent Briant (b. 1986), French professional football player
- Gavin Aubrey Briant (b. 1969), former Zimbabwean cricketer
- Frank Briant (1863-1934), British Liberal politician
- Michael E. Briant (b. 1942), British television director from Bournemouth, Hampshire
Historic Events for the Briant family +
- Mr. Albert Briant (d. 1912), aged 34, English Greaser from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html