Dewsberry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Dewsberry surname lived in Dewsbury, a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire.

"This town is supposed to have derived its name, originally Duisburgh, from Dui, the tutelar deity of the Brigantes, to whom a votive altar, dedicated by Aurelianus, was found in the vicinity, and is still preserved at Bradley." 1

Early Origins of the Dewsberry family

The surname DewsBerry was first found in West Yorkshire where the place dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Deusberia and Deusberie. Very small by standards in those days, the lands held only space for 2 ploughs but was held by Wakefield and a portion of the lands was held by King Edward who had a manor that was 4 furlongs long (800 meters) and as much broad. 2

The name literally means "stronghold of a man called Dewi", derived from the Old Welsh personal name "Dewi" + "burgh", an Old English word 3

Early History of the Dewsberry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dewsberry research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1621, 1688 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Dewsberry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dewsberry 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 Dewsberry 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 Dewsberry include: Dewsbury, Dusebury, Dusbury, Dewsburay and others.

Early Notables of the Dewsberry family

Distinguished members of the family include William Dewsbury (ca. 1621-1688), a Quaker minister from Allerthorpe, Yorkshire. He "was born in 1621 at Allerthorpe, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Up to his thirteenth year he was a shepherd's boy, and afterwards served his apprenticeship to a cloth-weaver at Holbeck, Leeds. He...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dewsberry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

DewsBerry migration to the United States +

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 Dewsberry or a variant listed above:

Dewsberry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Dewsberry, who landed in Maryland in 1673 4

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)