Show ContentsCheeseburay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Cheeseburay surname lived in Cheshire, a county in the northwest of England on the border with Wales. It is from the name of the county that the family name is derived. The name meant "a dweller in a town in Cheshire." This is because the suffix -borough indicated residence in a town.

However, one source disagrees. Reaney claims the name is from Cheeseburn, Northumberland, originally known as Cheseburgh in 1286. 1 Today Cheeseburn Grange survives near Stamfordham, Northumberland (Newcastle upon Tyne) and was the traditional home of the Widdringtons.

Early Origins of the Cheeseburay family

The surname Cheeseburay was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cheeseburay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheeseburay research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1427, 1430, 1431, 1526, 1594, 1611, 1649 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Cheeseburay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheeseburay Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Cheeseburay are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Cheeseburay include: Chesbrough, Cheesebourgh, Cheesbrough, Cheseborough, Chesebrough and many more.

Early Notables of the Cheeseburay family

Notables of this surname at this time include: David Cherbury or Chirbury (fl. 1430), Bishop of Dromore, a Carmelite friar, possibly a member of the Oxford house of his order, since he is recorded to have built its library. "He was made Bishop of Dromore, probably in 1427, but he must have...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cheeseburay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cheeseburay family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Cheeseburay or a variant listed above: William Cheesebrough who settled in Boston Massachusetts and later moved to Salem, with his wife Anne, daughter Sarah, and three sons, Peter, Samuel, and Nathanial, in 1630..



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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