Bradbrook History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Bradbrook come from when the family resided in the county of Chester, where they derived their name from the town of Bredbury. The town's name is derived from the Old English words bred or brade which means broad and byrig, the original form of burh, which means fort. Thus, the name denotes the dweller at the broad fort. 1

Early Origins of the Bradbrook family

The surname Bradbrook was first found in Greater Manchester at Bredbury, a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. 2 Historically a township, in the parish and union of Stockport, hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of Chester, Bredbury dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Brethberie. 3

"The manor was held under the Stockports, by the family of Bredbury, whose heiress brought a moiety of it to the Ardens." 4 Another reference claims the place name meant "stronghold or manor-house built of planks," from the Old English words "bred" + "burgh." 5

Some of the first listings of the family were found in Cheshire: Jordan de Bredbury in 1270; Adam de Bredbury in 1332. 2

Early History of the Bradbrook family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bradbrook research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1439, 1450, 1509, 1510, 1530, 1555, 1601, 1615, 1672, 1677, 1679, 1688, 1692, 1696, 1700, 1759, 1872, 1925 and 1950 are included under the topic Early Bradbrook History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bradbrook Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bradbrook has been recorded under many different variations, including Bradbury, BradBerry, Braidbury and others.

Early Notables of the Bradbrook family

Distinguished members of the family include George Bradbury (d.1696), an English judge, appointed to the bench of the Court of Exchequer in 1688, and continued in office until his death; Thomas Bradbury (1677-1759), an English congregational minister; and Mary Perkins Bradbury (1615-1700) was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, but the sentence was never carried out after...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bradbrook Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bradbrook migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bradbrook or a variant listed above:

Bradbrook Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Bradbrook, who landed in Newbury Massachusetts in 1662 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Bradbrook (post 1700) +

Robert Bradbrook (b. 1965), English Academy Award nominated filmmaker and animator
Muriel Clara Bradbrook (1909-1993), British literary scholar, Professor of English at the University of Cambridge

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)