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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The surname Quarmby was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Quenby, held by Richard from Robert de Tosny or Tonei, the chief tenant, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quarmby research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1934 is included under the topic Early Quarmby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Quarmby have been found, including Quenby, Quinby, Quimby, Quemby, Quynby, Querenby, Quarmby, QuesenBerry, Quisenberry, Quisnby, Quesnby, Quymby and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Quarmby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Quarmby were among those contributors: John Quinby, who settled in Connecticut in 1663; Manuel Quimby, who came to New York in 1761; William M. Quenby, who arrived in Detroit in 1844; John B. Quimby, who settled in Vermont in 1848.