Early Origins of the Soresbey family
The surname Soresbey was first found in
Yorkshire where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the village and lands of Skawsby, held by Roger de Bully, who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086.
Early History of the Soresbey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soresbey research.
Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1332, 1379 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Soresbey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Soresbey Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Skawsby, Scoresby, Sorsby, Soresby, Shoresby, Skoresby, Scausby, Scauceby and many more.
Early Notables of the Soresbey family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Soresbey Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Soresbey family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..