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Show ContentsBradny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England England
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Bradny reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Bradny family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bradny family lived in the town and parish of Bradney in county Somerset. The name was originally derived from the Old English word "bradeney," which means "the dweller at the broad island."

Early Origins of the Bradny family

The surname Bradny was first found in Somerset where the family claim descent from Sir Simon de Bredenie in 1346. 1 This is probably the same gentleman who was listed as Simon de Bradneghe in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. William de Bradney was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2 Another source notes that Simon de Bardeneye was Mayor of Bristol in 1276 and Abbas de Bardeneye was listed in Lincolnshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 3

Early History of the Bradny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bradny research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1346 is included under the topic Early Bradny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bradny 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 Bradney, Bradnie, Bredenie and others.

Early Notables of the Bradny family

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

Migration of the Bradny 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 Bradny name or one of its variants: Thomas Bradney who settled in Virginia in 1653; Geoffrey Bredenie who landed in America in 1799.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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