Salesbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Salesbury is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Salesbury family lived in Wiltshire, at Salisbury, from where their name is derived.

Early Origins of the Salesbury family

The surname Salesbury was first found in Wiltshire at Salisbury, a cathedral city that dates back to c. 900 when it was listed as Searobyrg. Over one hundred years later, the Domesday Book lists the place name as Sarisberie, much closer phonetically to today's name. The place name literally means "stronghold at Sorvio, " from the Old English words burgh + the Celtic name Sorviodunum. 1

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most famous cathedrals in Britain; its spire can be seen for miles. Moreover, it is now home to pages from the Magna Carta which is on public display.

"Edward de Sarisberie, sometimes called Edward Vicecomes was a great tenant in chief in Wiltshire and other counties, at the making of the Domesday [Book]. He was a younger son of Walter de Evreux (Devereux) one of the few instances in those early times of a Norman family with a Saxon name. " 2

Early History of the Salesbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Salesbury research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1500, 1561, 1573, 1575, 1580, 1593, 1612, 1621, 1622, 1625, 1626, 1637, 1640, 1643, 1660, 1661, 1684 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Salesbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salesbury Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Salesbury are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Salesbury include Salisbury, Salesbury, Sallsbury, Salusbury and many more.

Early Notables of the Salesbury family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Salisbury or Salebury 1561-1637?), Welsh grammarian, born in 1561 at Dolbelidr (now known as Ffynonfair) in the parish of Henllan, Denbighshire probably the youngest son of Foulke, third son of...
John Salisbury (1500?-1573), Welsh Bishop of Sodor and Man, member of the ancient family settled at Llewenny in Denbighshire, whose name was frequently spelt Salesbury or Salusbury
John Salisbury (1575-1625), Jesuit and Welsh scholar, described as a native of Merionethshire, presumably a member of the Rug branch of the Salisbury or Salesbury family
William Salesbury (1580-1660), a Welsh privateer in the East Indies, poet and politician born near Denbigh, North Wales who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622, Governor of Denbigh Castle

Migration of the Salesbury family to Ireland

Some of the Salesbury 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.

Salesbury migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Salesbury, or a variant listed above:

Salesbury Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Salesbury, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 3

Salesbury migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Salesbury Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Salesbury, aged 19, a mason, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maori" in 1864

Citations +

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.
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)