Hulbirt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Hulbirt family name to the British Isles. Hulbirt comes from the Old English given name Holbert. Holbert is thought to be a corruption of the Old English personal name Holdbearht, which is composed of the elements hold, which means friendly, and berht, which means bright. 1

The variant Holberton is by extension derived from "holbert" + "tun" and claims Holberton, (Holbeton) Devon as its founding. This parish dates back to 1229 when it was known as Holbouton and literally meant "farmstead in the hollow bend." 2

Early Origins of the Hulbirt family

The surname Hulbirt was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. This distinguished family held estates at Corsham and Wooten Basset in Wiltshire. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066, these lands were held by Miles Crispin, a powerful tenant-in-chief. Conjecturally, the Hulberts were descended from a Norman noble who held his lands from Miles Crispin. Corsham was the King's Land, but St. Stephen of Caen held the Church.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. By example, the Latin form, Holbertus, was listed in the Archaelogia Cantiana in 1168. William and John Holdebert were both listed in Warwickshire in the Pipe Rolls of 1205 and in the Assize Rolls of 1219 in Yorkshire. 3

"The Hulberts of Malmesbury may be able to trace their pedigree back to Thomas Hulbert, the pious clothier of Corsham, who, as we learn from a brass in Corsham Church, 'Christianly finished his course with powerfull prayer to God upon Tuesday, being the 16 October, 1632.'" 4

Early History of the Hulbirt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hulbirt research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1660, 1680, 1778, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1834, 1837, 1839, 1857, 1867 and 1888 are included under the topic Early Hulbirt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hulbirt Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hulbert, Hulbirt, Hulbat, Hulbart, Houlbert, Houlbart, Hullbert and many more.

Early Notables of the Hulbirt family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Charles Hulbert (1778-1857), English miscellaneous writer, son of Thomas Hulbert of Hulbert Green, near Cheadle, Cheshire, born at Manchester on 18 Feb. 1778, and educated at the grammar school of Halton, Cheshire. After learning cotton-weaving he became manager, at the age of twenty-two, of large print works at Middleton, near Manchester, and subsequently began business with his elder brother at Swinton, also near Manchester. In 1803 he removed to Shrewsbury, and in conjunction with others leased some...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hulbirt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hulbirt migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hulbirt or a variant listed above:

Hulbirt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Hulbirt who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.