Curby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Curby reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Curby family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Curby family lived at Kirkby in Furness. The name Kirkby means village with a church.

Early Origins of the Curby family

The surname Curby was first found in Lancashire. One of the first recorded references to the name was John Kirkby (died 26 March 1290,) an English ecclesiastic and statesman. "John de Kirkeby, [was] Bishop of Ely in 1286, and founder of Ely Palace, Holborn." [1] He acted as keeper of the great seal during the frequent absences of the chancellor, Robert Burnell, during the reign of Henry III. He was Lord Treasurer from January 1284 to his death. On 26 July 1286, he was elected Bishop of Ely, a post he held until his death.

Another John de Kirkby (d. 1352) was Bishop of Carlisle, an Augustinian canon at Carlisle and later prior of the house.

Early History of the Curby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Curby research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1625, 1634, 1649, 1658, 1661, 1681, 1690, 1693, 1702, 1703, 1708, 1709, 1753 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Curby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curby Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Curby include Kirkby, Kirby, Kerribly, Kerwick, O'Kerwick and many more.

Early Notables of the Curby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Kirkby, rector of the church of St. Michael in Aughton, Lancashire in 1548 [2]; John Kirby (1690-1753), an English land surveyor and topographer, best known for his book The Suffolk Traveller; Richard Kirkby (c.1625-1681), an English politician, from Kirkby Ireleth in Lancashire. He was a Justice of the Peace and Member of Parliament for Lancaster (1661-1681). His son Colonel Roger Kirkby (c.1649-1709) was an English soldier and politician. He was Governor of...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Curby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Curby family to Ireland

Some of the Curby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curby migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Curbys to arrive on North American shores:

Curby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alice Curby, who landed in Virginia in 1636 [3]
Joseph Curby, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 [3]
Mary Curby, who landed in Virginia in 1663 [3]
George Curby, who landed in Maryland in 1667 [3]

Curby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel C Curby, who landed in Iroquois County, III in 1884 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Curby (post 1700) +

Rocky Curby, American visual effects specialist, best known for Transformers (2007), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Robert E. Curby, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from 14th Senatorial District, 1961 [4]

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html