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The name Norreys is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was name for a person from the north. The surname is usually derived from the Anglo-French words noreis and norreis, which both mean northerner. 1 Occasionally, Norreys is an occupational name for a nurse; in this case, the derivation is from the Old French word norrice, which means nurse. Lastly, the surname Norreys is sometimes a local surname for a "dweller at the north house." 2
The surname Norreys was first found in Hampstead Norreys (Hampstead Norris), a village and civil parish in Berkshire. Dating back to the Domesday Book, where it was listed as Hanstede 3, the village is today still noted for its Norman parish church and the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle nearby.
"Petrus Norreis" is found in the Norman Exchequer Rolls, about 1198, and several of the name in England at the same date. 4 "Henry le Norreys was seized of estates in Nottinghamshire, which on his death King John granted to Alan le Norreys, his brother." 5
Another noted source claims: "Their undoubted ancestor was Richard de Norreys, the favourite cook of Henry III.'s Queen, Eleanor of Provence, who was rewarded in 1267 by a grant of the manor of Ocholt in Berkshire, "subject to a fee farm rent of 40s., and stated to have been an encroachment from the forest." 6
The village of Hampstead Norreys changed its name to Hampstede Norreys, when the Norreys family bought the manor in 1448. A branch of the family was found in Speke, Lancashire where at one time they held Speke Hall. "The Norris family had, however, before this begun to acquire lands in the township, Alan le Norreys of Speke being apparently the first to do so. A younger son of Alan, John le Norreys, established himself at Woolton. John's elder son John, who succeeded, is mentioned in the settlement made by Sir Henry le Norreys in 1367." 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include an entry for Thomas le Noreis, but no county was given. The Writs of Parliament list Walter le Noreis, 1313 and again, no county was recorded. 7
In the 14th century, some of the family were found in West Derby, Lancashire. "The Norris family had an estate here in the fourteenth century, acquired by William, a younger son of John le Norreys of Speke. It descended in the fifteenth century to Thomas Norris, whose daughter and heir Lettice married her distant cousin Thomas Norris of Speke, and so carried the estate back to the parent stock. One of their grandsons, William Norris, was settled here, his estate remaining with his descendants to the end of the seventeenth century. The family remained constant to the Roman Church and had to face loss and suffering in consequence, especially during the Commonwealth; thus the threat of a fresh outbreak of persecution as a result of the Oates plot appears to have broken the resolution of 'Mr. Norris of Derby,' who conformed to the legally established religion in 1681. Norris Green is supposed to indicate the site of their estate." 4
"From the de Erneys it came, also by marriage, to the family of Norres, of whom was Sir William Norres, who brought from the palace of Holyrood, at Edinburgh, part of the royal library and some curious pieces of fine oak wainscot, to Speke Hall: this mansion was re-erected by Sir Edward Norres. The family retained the manor until the 18th century, when their heiress married Lord Sidney Beauclerk, fifth son of Charles, Duke of St. Alban's; whose grandson, Charles George, sold Speke to the Watt family. The great hall is very lofty, with wainscot and a ceiling of oak, and having a mantelpiece brought from Holyrood: at each angle of the southern wall, within the court, are two spacious corbelled windows, one of which lights the hall. The house was originally surrounded by a moat, of which the outlines remain, and over which a bridge leads to the principal entrance. The whole forms a highly interesting specimen of old English domestic architecture." 8
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Norreys research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1433, 1450, 1481, 1507, 1525, 1564, 1572, 1575, 1579, 1584, 1597, 1599, 1601, 1603, 1622, 1658, 1670, 1671, 1675, 1702, 1711, 1724, 1735, 1749, 1777 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Norreys History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Norreys have been found, including Norreys, Norris, Norres, Norrice, Norrish and others.
Distinguished members of the family include
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Norreys, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were: Edward Norris, who came to Salem in 1630; Able and Thomas Norrice, who settled in Virginia in 1643; Richard Norris, who settled in Virginia in 1643; Samuel Norris, who arrived in Barbados with his servants in 1679.