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![Show Contents]() Bilnye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Anglo-Saxon name Bilnye comes from the family having resided in the parish of Bilney in Norfolk. The name literally means the dweller by the stream. Early Origins of the Bilnye familyThe surname Bilnye 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. 1 West Bilney dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Bilenei 2 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." 3 "He was a member of a Norfolk family which took its name from the villages of the same designation in that county. Local historians assert that he was born either at East Bilney or Norwich; but these statements seem to rest on probability rather than definite evidence. " 4 Early History of the Bilnye familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilnye research. Another 267 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1202, 1216, 1273, 1288, 1327, 1495, 1500, 1531 and 1627 are included under the topic Early Bilnye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bilnye Spelling VariationsBilnye has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Bilney, Bilnie, Bylyne, Bilneye, Bilnye, Bilnay and others. Early Notables of the Bilnye familyAnother 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bilnye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bilnye familyIn an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Bilnyes to arrive on North American shores: a number of settlers who arrived in the New World by the 19th century.
- 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.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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