Show ContentsNorey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Norey

What does the name Norey mean?

The earliest origins of the family name Norey date back to the Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name given to a person from the north. The surname is usually derived from the Anglo-French words noreis and norreis, which both mean northerner. 1 Occasionally, Norey is an occupational name for a nurse; in this case, the derivation is from the Old French word norrice, which means nurse. Lastly, the surname Norey is sometimes a local surname for a "dweller at the north house." 2

Early Origins of the Norey family

The surname Norey was first found in Hampstead Norreys (Hampstead Norris), a village and civil parish in Berkshire. Dating back to the Domesday Book, where it was listed as Hanstede 3, the village is today still noted for its Norman parish church and the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle nearby.

"Petrus Norreis" is found in the Norman Exchequer Rolls, about 1198, and several of the name in England at the same date. 4 "Henry le Norreys was seized of estates in Nottinghamshire, which on his death King John granted to Alan le Norreys, his brother." 5

Another noted source claims: "Their undoubted ancestor was Richard de Norreys, the favourite cook of Henry III.'s Queen, Eleanor of Provence, who was rewarded in 1267 by a grant of the manor of Ocholt in Berk­shire, "subject to a fee farm rent of 40s., and stated to have been an encroach­ment from the forest." 6

The village of Hampstead Norreys changed its name to Hampstede Norreys, when the Norreys family bought the manor in 1448. A branch of the family was found in Speke, Lancashire where at one time they held Speke Hall. "The Norris family had, however, before this begun to acquire lands in the township, Alan le Norreys of Speke being apparently the first to do so. A younger son of Alan, John le Norreys, established himself at Woolton. John's elder son John, who succeeded, is mentioned in the settlement made by Sir Henry le Norreys in 1367." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include an entry for Thomas le Noreis, but no county was given. The Writs of Parliament list Walter le Noreis, 1313 and again, no county was recorded. 7

In the 14th century, some of the family were found in West Derby, Lancashire. "The Norris family had an estate here in the fourteenth century, acquired by William, a younger son of John le Norreys of Speke. It descended in the fifteenth century to Thomas Norris, whose daughter and heir Lettice married her distant cousin Thomas Norris of Speke, and so carried the estate back to the parent stock. One of their grandsons, William Norris, was settled here, his estate remaining with his descendants to the end of the seventeenth century. The family remained constant to the Roman Church and had to face loss and suffering in consequence, especially during the Commonwealth; thus the threat of a fresh outbreak of persecution as a result of the Oates plot appears to have broken the resolution of 'Mr. Norris of Derby,' who conformed to the legally established religion in 1681. Norris Green is supposed to indicate the site of their estate." 4

"From the de Erneys it came, also by marriage, to the family of Norres, of whom was Sir William Norres, who brought from the palace of Holyrood, at Edinburgh, part of the royal library and some curious pieces of fine oak wainscot, to Speke Hall: this mansion was re-erected by Sir Edward Norres. The family retained the manor until the 18th century, when their heiress married Lord Sidney Beauclerk, fifth son of Charles, Duke of St. Alban's; whose grandson, Charles George, sold Speke to the Watt family. The great hall is very lofty, with wainscot and a ceiling of oak, and having a mantelpiece brought from Holyrood: at each angle of the southern wall, within the court, are two spacious corbelled windows, one of which lights the hall. The house was originally surrounded by a moat, of which the outlines remain, and over which a bridge leads to the principal entrance. The whole forms a highly interesting specimen of old English domestic architecture." 8

Early History of the Norey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Norey research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1433, 1450, 1481, 1507, 1525, 1564, 1572, 1575, 1579, 1584, 1597, 1599, 1601, 1603, 1622, 1658, 1670, 1671, 1675, 1702, 1711, 1724, 1735, 1749, 1777 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Norey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Norey Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Norey include Norreys, Norris, Norres, Norrice, Norrish and others.

Early Notables of the Norey family

Distinguished members of the family include Lady Alice Norreys (c. 1405-1450), an English Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter; Sir William Norreys (1433-1507), a famous Lancastrian soldier, and later an Esquire of the Body to King Edward IV; Henry Norris "Norreys" (1525-1601), created 1st Baron Norreys in 1572; Francis Norris (1579-1622), 2nd Baron Norreys, who was made Earl of Berkshire and Viscount Thame in 1622, one day...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Norey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Norey family to Ireland

Some of the Norey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Norey migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Norey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Alex Norey, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 9

Norey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Norey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Norey, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10


The Norey 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: Feythfully serve
Motto Translation: Faithfully serve


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. 'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
  5. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  6. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  8. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  9. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic


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