Stobbs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Ancestry of the Stobbs name lies with the Norman Conquest of England. This Norman name was used for a a short or stocky person, having derived from the Old English word stybb, of the same meaning. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. 1

Early Origins of the Stobbs family

The surname Stobbs was first found in Staffordshire where they were granted lands at Water-Eaton and Bloxwich by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

There are elaborate accounts of this family's descent from Belmeis or Beaumeis from Beaumeis-Sur-Dive from Calvados in Normandy through Richard Belmeis, the founder of the family, who was a follower of Roger de Montogomery who was Sheriff of Shropshire and later Bishop of London, about 1100. 2

One of the earliest records of the family was Aelfeah Stybb who was listed in the source Old English Bynames c. 1000. Later Richard Stubbe was a Knights Templar in Yorkshire in 1185. Geoffrey de Stubbes was found in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1199 and Robert del Stobbes was found in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1288. Roger de Stoppes was listed in the Assize Rolls for London in 1276 and later, Robert Stope was listed in Yorkshire in 1408. 3

Thomas Stubbs (fl. 1373), an English "chronicler, [who] is said by Bale to have been a native of Yorkshire and a Dominican friar. " 4

Early History of the Stobbs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stobbs research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1540, 1544, 1577, 1587, 1624, 1632, 1676, 1714, 1724 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Stobbs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stobbs Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Stubbs, Stubs, Stubbes, Stubb, Stubbe and others.

Early Notables of the Stobbs family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Leonard Stopes (1540?-1587?), was an English priest, "born about 1540, probably belonged to the branch of the family of Stopes settled at Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, and may have been brother of James Stopes, whose son James, brother of St. Catharine's by the Tower, was rector...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stobbs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stobbs family to Ireland

Some of the Stobbs 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.

Stobbs migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Stobbs or a variant listed above:

Stobbs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Stobbs, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Stobbs (post 1700) +

William Stobbs, American poet
Thomas William Stobbs Jr., professional American football player
George Russell Stobbs (1877-1966), American Representative from Massachusetts
Charles Klein Stobbs (1929-2008), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Thomas C. Stobbs, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Illinois State Senate 7th District, 1922 6
Matt Stobbs, American politician, Mayor of Harvey, Illinois, 1925 6
George Russell Stobbs (1877-1966), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 4th District, 1925-31; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1932 6
William Stobbs (1914-2000), English author and illustrator
Alexander 'Alex' Brett Stobbs (b. 1990), British musician

The Stobbs Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cedant arma labori
Motto Translation: Let arms give place to labour

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html