Show ContentsGoldesbrow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The founding heritage of the Goldesbrow family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Goldesbrow comes from when one of the family worked as a goldsmith, or jeweller refiner or gilder. The surname Goldesbrow was also a nickname for someone with bright yellow hair which referred to gold.

Early Origins of the Goldesbrow family

The surname Goldesbrow was first found in Yorkshire at Goldsborough, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Claro, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Goldsborough Hall, built in the reign of James I., is the property of the Earl of Harewood. 1

The parish dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Godenesburg. By 1170, it was known as Godelesburc and literally meant "stronghold of a man called Godel." 2 Today this stately home has been fully restored to its finest glory. In the Church of St. Mary, there are memorials to Richard de Goldsburgh (d.1308) and his son (d.1333), both are effigies of an armoured knight.

Early History of the Goldesbrow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goldesbrow research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1568, 1584, 1598, 1604, 1606, 1618, 1626, 1691, 1693 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Goldesbrow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goldesbrow Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Goldesbrow has been spelled many different ways, including Goldesborough, Goldsbrough, Goldisbrough, Goldsborough and many more.

Early Notables of the Goldesbrow family

Notables of the family at this time include John Goldsburgh, of Godmanchester, Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1626. Godfrey Goldsborough (1548-1604), was Bishop of Gloucester, born in 1548 in the town of Cambridge. On 28 Aug. 1598 he was elected bishop of Gloucester, and he was consecrated at Lambeth on 12 Nov. Before leaving London he made a will, dated 7 March 1691, wherein he described himself as 'of Bethnall Green, in the county of Middlesex, knight, being bound on a voyage to the East India beyond the seas in the shipp Berkly Castle'. Not long after his death his widow...
Another 156 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goldesbrow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Goldesbrow family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Goldesbrows to arrive in North America: Thomas Goldsborough who settled in Jamaica in 1686; John Goldsborough settled in Maryland in 1774.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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