Brebburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Brebburn arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Brebburn family lived in the county of Kent. The family name originates in the Duchy of Brabant in Normandy, and it is from this place that the village and parish of Braborne takes its name. In Normandy, the name was associated with mercenary-style soldiering, and the family was renowned as a group of valiant fighters, particularly in William the Conqueror's army at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Early Origins of the Brebburn family

The surname Brebburn was first found in the counties of Kent where they arrived from the Duchy of Brabant and gave their name to the village and parish of Braborne in the shire. They were granted a manor and estates soon after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by Duke William of Normandy. In William's army the Brabants were known by their distinctive name, the Great Warrior.

Early History of the Brebburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brebburn research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1590 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Brebburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brebburn 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 Braborne, Brabant, Braban, Brabourne, Braband, Branantine and many more.

Early Notables of the Brebburn family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Theophilius Babourne (b. 1590), English writer on the Sabbath question, a native of Norwich. "The date of his birth is fixed by his own statement in 1654: 'I...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brebburn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brebburn family to Ireland

Some of the Brebburn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brebburn 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 Brebburn name or one of its variants: Alexander Brabant landed in the Somers Islands in 1635; but later transferred to Jamaica, and thence to the mainland. By 1651 he had settled in Boston Massachusetts where he now spelled his name Braband. Sarah Braban settled in Virginia in 1654.