The origins of the Seaberray name lie with England's ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in Sebright in the county of
Essex which was later known as Great Seabright in Great Beddow in
Essex. This surname is also of
patronymic origin in that it was originally derived from the baptismal name
Seabert, taken from the Old English
personal name Saebeorht. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.
Early Origins of the Seaberray family
The surname Seaberray was first found in
Essex where "William Sebright of Sebright, in Much Beddow, living in the reign of Henry II is the ancestor of this ancient family who removed into this county (Worcestershire) at a very early period."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Early History of the Seaberray family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seaberray research.
Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1658, 1645, 1679, 1668, 1702, 1692, 1736, 1706, 1764, 1729 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Seaberray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Seaberray Spelling Variations
Before the last few
hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason,
spelling variations are commonly found in early
Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Seaberray were recorded, including Seabright, Sebright, Seabricks, Sebricks and others.
Early Notables of the Seaberray family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Edward Sebright, 1st
Baronet (c. 1585-c. 1658) of Besford in the County of Worcester,
High Sheriff of Worcestershire; Sir Edward Sebright, 2nd
Baronet (c. 1645-1679); Sir Edward Sebright, 3rd
Baronet (1668-1702)...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Seaberray Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Seaberray family to the New World and Oceana
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Seaberray family emigrate to North America: Joseph Seabright who arrived in Maryland in 1774.