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The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Merburay family name to the British Isles. They lived in Cheshire, at the manor of Marbury, from whence they took their name. However, we must look to Normandy to find the first record of the family. It was there that "Nicholas Merbury, Butler of the King, Normandy" 1 was found 1180-1195.
Alternatively, the family could have descended from Marlborough, a borough and market-town, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Selkley in Wiltshire.
"The name, anciently written Marleberg, or Marlbridge, is supposed to be derived from the marl, or chalk, hills by which the town is surrounded. At the time of the Norman survey [(1086]), Marlborough had a church, and was held in royal demesne; soon after, a castle was erected, which seems to have been the cause of the subsequent enlargement of the town. In the time of Richard I., and during his imprisonment in Austria, his brother John took possession of this fortress; but Richard, on his return from captivity, seized it, with all the other possessions belonging to his brother, and on their reconciliation he still retained the castle of Marlborough in his own hands. " 2 In this case, the first on record was Alured de Merleberge who held lands here at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. 1
The surname Merburay was first found in Cheshire at Marbury, a township, in the parish of Great Budworth, union of Northwich, hundred of Bucklow. 2 3
The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Merberie and was held by William Malbank, who held them from Earl Harold. 4 Literally, it means "fortified place near a lake," from the Old English words "mere" + "burh." 5
One of the first records of the family in England was Thomas of Marlborough (died 1236), a medieval English monk and writer, Abbot of Evesham Abbey in 1230.
A few years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed John de Marleberge as holding lands in Oxfordshire at that time. 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merburay research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1414, 1425, 1456, 1528, 1555, 1610, 1611, 1626 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Merburay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Marbury, Marburie, Marberrie, MarBerry, Merbury, Marburry, Marburrie, Marbery, Marberie and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Merbury of Lyonshall and Weobley, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1404 and 1425; John Merbury of Lyonshall and Weobley, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1414; Sir Laurence Murberry, High Sheriff of...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Merburay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Merburay or a variant listed above were: Gilbert Marburie who settled in Virginia in 1622; Richard Marbury settled in Virginia in 1643.