Show ContentsOldburey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Oldburey comes from when the family resided in Holtby, a parish, in the wapentake of Bulmer, in the North Riding of Yorkshire near York. 1

Early Origins of the Oldburey family

The surname Oldburey was first found in Yorkshire at Holtby. The place dates back to at least the Domesday Book from 1086 2 where it was listed as Holtebi or Boltebi and literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Holti" derived from the Old Scandinavian personal name + by. 3

Ainderby Mires with Holtby is a civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, and this civil parish also dates back to the Domesday Book 2 where it was listed as Eltebi or Heltebi.

The first record of the family was William de Holtebi who was listed in Yorkshire in the Pipe Rolls of 1208. William and John Holteby were listed in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1303 and then again in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1396. 4

Early History of the Oldburey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oldburey research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1303, 1553, 1577, 1578 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Oldburey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oldburey Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Oldburey has been recorded under many different variations, including Holtby, Holteby and others.

Early Notables of the Oldburey family

Notables of the family at this time include Father Richard Holtby (1553-1640), an English Jesuit Superior and Roman Catholic priest. He was born at Fryton, Yorkshire in 1553, was the second son of Lancelot Holtby of that place by Ellen [Butler] of Nunnington, in Ryedale, Yorkshire. "Holtby was a fellow-pupil with...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oldburey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Oldburey family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Oldburey or a variant listed above: William Holtby settled in Virginia in 1635; John Holtby settled in New England in 1648.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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