Show ContentsBramish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The lineage of the name Bramish begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the settlement of West Bromwich in Staffordshire, or in the place called Little Bromwich in Warwickshire. Castle Bromwich is a suburb situated within the northern part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.

All places essentially mean "dwelling or farm where broom grows," from the Old English words "brom" + "wic." 1

Another source provides more details about West Bromwich: " The name has been variously written at different periods as Bromwic, Bromwych, Bromich, Bromwhiche, and Bromwidge. It is derived from the broom supposed to have once grown plentifully in the neighbourhood, and wic, a Saxon word signifying village: West appears to have been added to distinguish the place from Castle-Bromwich, Little Bromwich, and Bromwycham, as Birmingham was once called. The parish is not mentioned in the Domesday survey; but it appears from other records to have belonged to the barony of Dudley, and in the time of Henry III. Walter de Everons, and his two coparceners, held the town of Bromwich of Roger de Somery." 2

Early Origins of the Bramish family

The surname Bramish was first found in Warwickshire, where Adam de Bromwiz was the first on record in the Assize Rolls for 1221. A few years later, William de Bromwic was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1225. 3

But from these 13th century entries, there is a loss until the 16th century when Thomas Bromidge from Berkshire was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford in 1581. 4

Atkyn's History of Gloucestershire includes an entry for John Bromage, patron of Bromsberrow Vicarage, Gloucestershire, 1583.

Early History of the Bramish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bramish research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1225, 1500, 1510, 1511, 1523, 1538, 1544, 1554, 1557, 1581, 1583, 1640, 1668, 1672, 1702, 1748 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Bramish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bramish Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bramish has undergone many spelling variations, including Bromage, Bromwich, Bromige, Brommage, Bromwiz, Bromwic, Bromidge and many more.

Early Notables of the Bramish family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Bromage, patron of Bromsberrow Vicarage in Gloucestershire during the 16th century; and Andrew Bromwich (c.1640-1702), an English Roman Catholic priest, founder of the Oscott Mission and survivor of the Popish Plot. Born at Old Oscott in Staffordshire, to a Roman Catholic farming family which, according to local tradition, had already produced several Catholic priests. He entered the English College, Lisbon in 1668, was ordained about 1672, and returned to Staffordshire to take up his mission. Thomas Bromwich (by 1523-1557 or later) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Hereford in 1554. The...
Another 116 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bramish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bramish family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bramish were among those contributors: Henry Bromage who arrived in Virginia in 1622 and Samuel Bromwich who arrived in America in 1763.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. 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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