Show ContentsAuldeborow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Auldeborow

What does the name Auldeborow mean?

The name Auldeborow reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Auldeborow family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Auldeborow family lived in Suffolk where they were first established as Lords of the Manor of Aldborough.

Early Origins of the Auldeborow family

The surname Auldeborow was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Aldborough. At the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086, a census of England initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066, Aldborough was held by Norman from his chief tenants, the Abbot of Ely and Robert Malet's mother. Conjecturally the family name is descended from this source. At this time, Aldborough consisted of a village with two churches.

John de Dalderby (d. 1320), Bishop of Lincoln, "took his name from, and perhaps was born in, a small village near Horncastle, Lincolnshire, now united with Scrivelsby. The first mention of him occurs as canon of St. David's. He became archdeacon of Carmarthen in 1283 (Wharton, Anglia Sacra). He was appointed chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral and head of the theological school there, which had obtained high reputation at this period. " 1

Early History of the Auldeborow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Auldeborow research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1371, 1500, 1584, 1617, 1630 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Auldeborow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Auldeborow Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Aldborough, Alderborough, Aldbrough, Aldbrow, Aldeborough, Aldburc, Aldburgh, Aldberg, Elderborough, Alborough, Albrough and many more.

Early Notables of the Auldeborow family

More information is included under the topic Early Auldeborow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Auldeborow family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Auldeborow name or one of its variants: John Aldburgh who settled in Massachusetts in 1634.



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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