Dewsbery History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of DewsberyWhat does the name Dewsbery mean? The ancient history of the Dewsbery name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided 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 Dewsbery familyThe surname Dewsbery 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 Dewsbery familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dewsbery research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1621, 1688 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Dewsbery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dewsbery Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dewsbery include Dewsbury, Dusebury, Dusbury, Dewsburay and others. Early Notables of the Dewsbery familyDistinguished 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... Migration of the Dewsbery familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dewsbery or a variant listed above: John Dewsbury arrived in New Jersey in 1677; John Dewsbury, who arrived in New Jersey in 1678; William Dewsbury arrived in Philadelphia in 1880; and George Dewsbury, aged 26, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1899..
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