Gattesberay is a name of ancient
Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the region of Gaddesby a spot in
Leicestershire. In the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) the name appeared as
Gadesbi from the Old Norse byname
Gaddr which meant "Sting."
Early Origins of the Gattesberay family
The surname Gattesberay was first found in
Leicestershire at Gaddesby, a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray,
hundred of East Goscote. Gaddesby Hall was built on the site of an earlier house, was surrounded by a moat and dated back to 1390. The present hall was rebuilt in 1744 but suffered neglect through World War II. In the 1950s, it was again renovated to its present state.
Early History of the Gattesberay family
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Gattesberay Spelling Variations
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore,
spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Gattesberay family name include Gadsby, Godsby, Gadsbury, Gadaby, Gatesby, Gatsby and many more.
Early Notables of the Gattesberay family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gattesberay Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gattesberay family to the New World and Oceana
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for
Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Gattesberay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Gadsby settled in Virginia in 1635; John Gadsby settled in Maryland in 1774; and in the next year Ralph Gadsby was recorded in Maryland; Henry, John, John William, and Thomas Gadsby all arrived in Philadelphia in the 1840's..