The name Southaby reached
England in the great wave of migration following the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Southaby family lived in
Lincolnshire, at Sotebi, from which their name is derived. The surname Southaby is thus, a
local name, which means it derived from the name of a place where members of the family once owned land or where they may have resided.
Early Origins of the Southaby family
The surname Southaby was first found in
Lincolnshire where Ralph of Sotby held the village and church of Sotebi from the Bishop of Bayeux. This village church is still famous for its Norman chancel arch.
Early History of the Southaby family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Southaby research.
Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1450, 1594, 1683, 1654, 1656, 1623, 1704 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Southaby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Southaby Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few
hundred years ago,
spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Southaby include Sotheby, Sothaby, Sotherby, Southerby, Southby, Southey and many more.
Early Notables of the Southaby family (pre 1700)
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Southaby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Southaby family to the New World and Oceana
In
England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Southabys to arrive on North American shores: Henry and Elizabeth Southey who settled in Virginia with their children Mary and Thomas in 1623; Dan Southerby settled in Virginia in 1653; Mary Southerby settled in New
England in 1755..