Newbrogh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Newbrogh reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Newbrogh family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Newbrogh family lived in Neufbourg, Normandy. "Henry de Newburgh (so named from the castle of Neufbourg, where he was born) was the younger son of Roger de Bellomont Earl of Mellent, and the brother of Robert, afterwards Earl of Leicester. He himself obtained the Earldom of Warwick towards the latter end of the Conqueror's reign, ' when,' says Dugdale, 'King William, having begirt Warwick with a mighty ditch, for the precinct of its walls, and erected the gates at his own charge, did promote this Henry to the earldom, and annexed thereto the royalty of the borough, which at that time belonged to the crown.' Here, 'upon the site of the tower illustrated by the traditions of Guy, the great opponent of the Danes,' he built his castle, which, enlarged and strengthened during the long succession of its powerful lords, became one of the most renowned of English fortresses, and remains 'the glory of the Midland shires. ' William Rufus further bestowed upon him all the lands that had belonged to his Saxon predecessor Thurkill, whose daughter and heir Margaret, Leland tells us, he had married. " 1

Newbrough in Northumberland, derives its name from the family and in turn, that is derived from the Old English words niwe, meaning "new," and burh, meaning "fortification." 2

Early Origins of the Newbrogh family

The surname Newbrogh was first found in Warwickshire. It is generally thought that the "founder of this family was Henry de Newburgh, so called from the castle of that name in Normandy, a younger son of Roger de Bellomonte, Earl of Mellent. He came in [to England] with the Conqueror, and was created Earl of Warwick. " 3

Berkely in Somerset was one of the original family seats. "This place appears to have formed part of the possessions of the Newborough family, who were relatives to, and came over to England with, William the Conqueror, and one of whose descendants, Thomas Newborough, was interred in the church in 1531." 4

From this early record , the family quickly scattered. Bindon Abbey, in the parish of East Stoke, Dorset was founded in 1172, by Robert de Newburgh and Maud his wife, who endowed it for monks of the Cistercian order; it was dedicated to St. Mary. 4

Winfrith-Newburgh, again in Dorset was a large holding of the family in ancient times. "This is a very extensive and ancient parish, giving name to the hundred. It formerly belonged to the family of Newburgh, who had a seat here, of which there are no traces." 4

A tone time East Lullworth in Dorset was "at a very early period, in the possession of the De Lolleworths, and subsequently of the Newburghs, who succeeded to the property in the reign of Edward I." 4 (the family inherited East Lullworth and gave it up during the reign of Edward I. In the 16th and 17th century this parish would pass to the Howards and then to the Weld family.)

"Wellesbourn [in Warwickshire] was given by the Conqueror to Henry de Newburg, and was afterwards granted, as is supposed, by one of the Norman earls of Warwick to Robert de Hasting." 4

Early History of the Newbrogh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newbrogh research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1158, 1172, 1242, 1245, 1263, 1267, 1322, 1395, 1430, 1541, 1600 and 1889 are included under the topic Early Newbrogh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newbrogh Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Newborough, Newburgh and others.

Early Notables of the Newbrogh family

More information is included under the topic Early Newbrogh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Newbrogh family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Newbrogh name or one of its variants: E. P. Newbrough settled in San Francisco in 1850; Thomas NewBerry settled in New England in 1630; John Newberry settled in New York in 1775.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.