Tarrbox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Tarrbox is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the ancient Norman given name Terbert.

Early Origins of the Tarrbox family

The surname Tarrbox was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Tarbock, after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were descended from the Baron Richard, brother of Sir Robert Fitzhenry, founder of Burscough Priory. " Henry de Tarbock or Torbock, who was early the lord of Tarbock, Roby, Huyton, Knowsley, and other manors, had two sons. The elder of these, Robert, was sometimes distinguished by the Norman patronymic FitzHenry, which the English rendered Harrison, and sometimes was denominated from his principal residence, de Lathom; while Richard, the other son, inheriting Tarbock, designated himself from that estate." 1

Early History of the Tarrbox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tarrbox research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1606 is included under the topic Early Tarrbox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tarrbox 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 Tarbock, Tarbocks, Tarbox, Tirebuck, Torbock, Tarbuck, Tarbux and many more.

Early Notables of the Tarrbox family

More information is included under the topic Early Tarrbox Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tarrbox family

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 Tarrbox or a variant listed above: Mary Tarbuck settled in Maryland in 1745; Richard Tarbutt settled in Virginia in 1663; John Tarbux settled in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1631.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.