Show ContentsScaresbright History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestry of the name Scaresbright dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived at the village of Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk in Lancashire. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norwegian Brekka meaning hillside or slope and the Old Danish personal name Skar. Therefore the original meaning of the surname Scaresbright would be Skar who lived by the hillside.

Early Origins of the Scaresbright family

The surname Scaresbright was first found in Lancashire at Scarisbrick, a village and civil parish that dates back to c. 1200 when it was listed as Scharisbrac and possibly meant "hill-side or slope by a hollow." 1

"In the reign of Edward II. the manor appears to have been in the possession of a family of the local name, with whom it continued until conveyed, about the commencement of the present century, by the heiress of the Scarisbricks, to the Ecclestons, who assumed the name of Scarisbrick. " 2

Scarisbrick Hall is a country house located south-east of the village and was the ancestral home of the Scarisbrick family and dates back to the time of King Stephen (1135-1154.) The family has held the property since the 13th century, but was sold in 1946 to become a training college. "Scarisbrick Hall is said to have been erected in the 11th century: it was inhabited by the family in 1567; and was improved, and re-cased in stone, in 1814." 2

Early History of the Scaresbright family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scaresbright research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1508, 1637, 1679, 1839, 1874, 1909, 1929, 1933 and 1970 are included under the topic Early Scaresbright History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scaresbright Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Scaresbright have been found, including Scarisbrick, Scarasbrick, Scaresbrick and others.

Early Notables of the Scaresbright family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Henry de Scarisbrick (died 1420), fought at the Battle of Agincourt; and Thomas Scarysbrig, Doctor of Divinity registered at the University of Oxford in 1508. William Scarisbrick (1637-1679), also known as John Plessington and William Pleasington was an English Catholic priest who was executed by the English Crown for violating the ban on the presence of Catholic priests...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scaresbright Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Scaresbright family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Scaresbright, or a variant listed above: William Scarsbrick who settled in New England in 1625.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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