Cattesbry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cattesbry is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Cattesbry family once lived in Catesby, in Northants, now Northamptonshire. 1

"The family had been for some time settled in Northamptonshire, and held also the manor of Lapworth in Warwickshire. " 2

The "Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I." had two early listing for the family: Robert de Catesby, Northamptonshire, Henry III-Edward I; and William de Cattesby, Northamptonshire. 3

Early Origins of the Cattesbry family

The surname Cattesbry was first found in Northampton at Asbhy St. Ledger's, a parish, in the union of Daventry, hundred of Fawsley. "The church [of Asbhy St. Ledger's] is in the later English style; it contains a richly ornamented screen and rood-loft, and in the windows are some remains of ancient painted glass. Sir William Catesby, favourite of Richard III., and owner of the manor, was buried within the altar-rails, under a marble slab with a rich brass in fine preservation; and Robert Catesby, the conspirator, of the time of James I., resided here, where he had property." 4

"William Catesby (d. 1485), councillor of Richard III, of whom, and others, the couplet was written: 'The Cat, the Rat, and Lovel our dog Rule all England under a hog,' was son of Sir William Catesby, of Ashby St. Legers, Northamptonshire." 3

Early History of the Cattesbry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cattesbry research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1371, 1449, 1450, 1453, 1459, 1478, 1484, 1485, 1573, 1605, 1679, 1710, 1719 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Cattesbry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattesbry Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cattesbry family name include Catesby, Catesbury, Cates and others.

Early Notables of the Cattesbry family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Catesby, High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1371; Sir William Catesby (1450-1485), English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1484, one of Richard III of England's principal councillors, he also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons; William Catesby (died 1478), English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire, 1449, 1453; William Catesby of Ashby St Ledgers, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1459; Sir John Catesby of Seton, Justice of the Common Pleas. Robert Catesby (1573-1605), was the leader of a group of Catholic conspirators...
Another 138 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cattesbry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cattesbry family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Cattesbry surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Catesby who settled in Virginia in 1623; Jane Catesby settled there in 1635; followed by Robert in 1654.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.