Bilney Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The present generation of the Bilney family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the parish of Bilney in Norfolk. The name literally means the dweller by the stream.

Bilney Early Origins

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The surname Bilney was first found in Norfolk at East Bilney, a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Launditch. The place name literally means "island near a ridge," or "island of a man called Bil(l)a," from the Old English word "bile," or the Old English personal name. West Bilney dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Bilenei and East Bilney dates back to 1254 when it was first listed a Billney. "Thomas Bilney (c. 1495-1531), a learned divine, who was burnt at Norwich, in the year 1531, for preaching against popery, is said to have been born here."

Bilney Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bilney include Bilney, Bilnie, Bylyne, Bilneye, Bilnye, Bilnay and others.

Bilney Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilney research. Another 533 words (38 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1216, 1202, 1273, 1288, 1327, 1500, 1627, 1495 and 1531 are included under the topic Early Bilney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilney Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bilney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bilney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Bilney, aged 33, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
Ann Bilney, aged 31, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
Mary J. Bilney, aged 12, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
Daniel Bilney, aged 10, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
Sarah A. Bilney, aged 8, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 ^[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bilney (post 1700)

Thomas Bilney (1495-1531), English clergyman

Bilney Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm

Other References

Holt, J.C. Ed. Domesday Studies. Woodbridge: Boydell, 1987. Print. (ISBN 0-85115-477-8).
Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 Edited by Samuel Eliot Morrison 2 Volumes. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968. Print.
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
Lennard, Reginald. Rural England 1086-1135 A Study of Social and Agrarian Conditions. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. Print.
Cook, Chris. English Historical Facts 1603-1688. London: MacMillan, 1980. Print.
Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Filby, P. William and Mary K Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index in Four Volumes. Detroit: Gale Research, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8).
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
Hitching, F.K and S. Hitching. References to English Surnames in 1601-1602. Walton On Thames: 1910. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0181-3).
Reaney P.H and R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X).
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The Bilney Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Bilney Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 17 March 2016 at 10:32.