The history of the Anthrobus family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Cheshire, where they held lands and a family seat at Antrobus.
The surname Anthrobus was first found in Cheshire at Antrobus, a civil parish and village in the parish of Great Budworth, union of Runcorn and the hundred of Bucklow. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Entrebus. At that time, it was part of the Tunnendune hundred and there was land enough for one plough. [1] Literally, the place name means 'within the woods' having been derived from the Norman-French Entre-bois. "Antrobus Hall and demesne belonged to the family of Antrobus from an early period till the reign of Henry IV., when it was sold to the Venables family. The estate was purchased in 1808 of Edward Townshend, Esq., of Chester, by Edmond Antrobus, Esq., a descendant of the former proprietors, and is now the property of Sir Edmund W. Antrobus, Bart." [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anthrobus research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1460, 1808 and 1604 are included under the topic Early Anthrobus 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 Anthrobus, Antrobus, Antrobuss, Entrobus and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Anthrobus Notables 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 Anthrobus or a variant listed above were: Benjamin Antrobus who settled in West New Jersey in 1664; Joan Antrobus who settled in Massachusetts in 1635; Thomas Antrobus, his wife Margaret, and four daughters, settled in Georgia in 1733.