Berrow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Berrow was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Berrow family lived in the county of Devon, where the family settled after arriving in England with William the Conqueror at the time of the Norman Conquest of England. The name is derived from the phrase at the Bury which has evolved to the more modern term borough.

Early Origins of the Berrow family

The surname Berrow was first found in Devon, in the parish of Berry-Pomeroy and before that Berry or Berri was the appellation of one of the old provinces of France. 1 2 Another source notes "scattered disconnectedly over England. It is most numerous in Lancashire, and afterwards in the counties of Northampton, Warwick, and Devon. Probably it is usually derived from places, Berry being the name of a Devonshire parish, whilst Bury is the name of towns and localities in Lancashire, Suffolk, etc." 3

Early History of the Berrow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berrow research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1635, 1636, 1675, 1690, 1691, 1781, 1873 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Berrow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berrow Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Berrow are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Berrow include Berry, Bery, Berey, De Berry and others.

Early Notables of the Berrow family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Berry, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1450; Sir Thomas Berry of Buckland; Alexander Berry (1781-1873), Scottish surgeon, merchant, and explorer after whom the Australian town is named; Sir John Berry (1635-1690), English naval officer of the Royal Navy, and was in 1675 the captain of the annual convoy to Newfoundland; and Major-General James Berry (d. 1691), English Parliamentary officer who fought in the English Civil War. On the more infamous side, it is claimed that Charlotte de Berry (born 1636) was an English female...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Berrow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Berrow family to Ireland

Some of the Berrow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berrow migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Berrow, or a variant listed above:

Berrow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Berrow, aged 28, who landed in America, in 1904
Ellen Phebe Berrow, aged 29, who landed in America from Malvern, England, in 1912
Harold Berrow, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States, in 1924

Berrow migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Berrow Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Charles Berrow, aged 30, who landed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1910

Contemporary Notables of the name Berrow (post 1700) +

Capel Berrow (1716-1782), English divine, Curate of St. Botolph's, Aldersgate, March 1741 4

The Berrow Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nihil sine labore
Motto Translation: Nothing without labour.

Citations +

Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019