Burnis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Scotland

The family name Burnis is thought to be of Norman origins. Originally, Burnis was a name given to a small child. The surname springs from the middle English bairn, of the same meaning. ^{[1] [2]}

Early Origins of the Burnis family

The surname Burnis was first found in Surrey at Barnes, a parish, in the union of Richmond, W. division of the hundred of Brixton. ^[3] This parish was originally listed as Berne ^[4] in the Domesday Book of 1086.

According to the Saxon Chronicle, Siward Barn was the patriot rebel against William the Conqueror. ^[5] After that early listing, one of the first records of the name was found in Surrey as Philip de Bernes. ^[6]

Other early records include: Henry de le Berne in Norfolk; Richard de la Berne in Kent; and William de la Berne in Dorset, all listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. ^[1] William Bernes was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1380 and Joan Barnes was also listed in Cheshire in 1450. ^[6]

Early Scottish sources revealed that the name was from "Barnes in the parish of Premnay, Aberdeenshire" ^[7] where the first record was found in the 15th century as Robert of Bernis, a goldsmith in 1465. ^[7]

Important Dates for the Burnis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burnis research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1200, 1495, 1540, 1532, 1587, 1569, 1609, 1569, 1661, 1627, 1710, 1654, 1712, 1675 and are included under the topic Early Burnis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Burnis have been found, including Barnes, Barns, Barnis, Bernys, Barness and others.

Early Notables of the Burnis family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include Robert Barnes (1495-1540), English Protestant divine and martyr, a Norfolk man, born in the neighbourhood of Lynn. "Barnes and his two companions, as heretics, were committed to the flames." ^[8] Richard Barnes (1532-1587), Bishop of Durham, born at Bould, near Warrington, in Lancashire, son of John Barnes and Agnes Saunderson, his wife. His son, Barnabe Barnes (1569?-1609), English poet, born in Yorkshire...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burnis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burnis family to Ireland

Some of the Burnis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnis migration to the United States

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. 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 Burnis were among those contributors:

Burnis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• F W Burnis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 ^[9]

Citations

1. ^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
2. ^ Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
3. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
4. ^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
5. ^ Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
6. ^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
7. ^ Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
8. ^ Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
9. ^ 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)