Show ContentsHambor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hambor is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Hambor family once lived in the parish of Hanbury in the county of Oxford. [1]

Henry de Hambury (fl. 1330), was an early English judge, the a son of Geoffrey de Hambury of Hambury or Hanbury in Worcestershire. [2] He was being briefly Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Early Origins of the Hambor family

The surname Hambor was first found in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, where evidence suggests they held a family seat before the Norman Conquest. Hambrook is a village and hamlet in the parish of Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire. Whereras, Handbrough is a parish, in the union of Witney, hundred of Wootton in the county of Oxford. Both villages have remained small through the ages. Hambrook had about 600 inhabitants and Handbrough (Hanborough) had about 1,000 inhabitants as of a census in the late 1800s. The latter villages dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Haneberge [3] and literally meant "hill of a man called Hagena or Hana" derived from the Old English personal name + beorg. Hambrook also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Hanbroc. [3] In this case, the village literally meant "brook by the stone" from the Old English han + broc. [4]

Early History of the Hambor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hambor research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273 and 1330 are included under the topic Early Hambor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hambor 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 Hambor family name include Hambro, Hambrow, Hambury, Hamborough, Hamboro and others.

Early Notables of the Hambor family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hambor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Hambor family to Ireland

Some of the Hambor 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.

Migration of the Hambor family

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 Hambor surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Daniel Hanbury who sailed to Massachusetts in 1635; Peter Hanbury to Virginia in 1639; Peter Hambro, to Philadelphia, Pa. in 1750; Benjamin Hambury to Virginia in 1774.



The Hambor Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Honestum utili praefero
Motto Translation: I prefer honesty to profit.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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