Show ContentsChesbrou History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Chesbrou comes from the family having resided 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 Chesbrou family

The surname Chesbrou 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 Chesbrou family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chesbrou 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 Chesbrou History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chesbrou Spelling Variations

Chesbrou has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Chesbrough, Cheesebourgh, Cheesbrough, Cheseborough, Chesebrough and many more.

Early Notables of the Chesbrou 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 Chesbrou Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chesbrou family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Chesbrous to arrive on North American shores: 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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