Thrush History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

When the ancestors of the Thrush family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, they brought their name with them. It is a name for a packer. The name was originally derived from the Old French word trousser, meaning to package.

In France, "Guido Trussel was a distinguished Crusader 1096. He was Lord of Montcheri, and Seneschal of France. Osbert Trussel in 1165 held a fief from the Earl of Warwick, and Fulco de Trussel one in Norfolk from the see of Ely 1. William T., son of Osbert, was a benefactor to Sulby Abbey, Northamptonshire." 2

Two villages are named Trussell in England: Marston Trussell, a village and civil parish in the Daventry district in Northamptonshire; and Acton Trussell a village in Staffordshire. Richard Trussell was lord of the manor Marston Trussell Hall in 1233, but the Trussells of Marston died out in the 14th century and the Hall later became the family seat of a Bennett family.

Early Origins of the Thrush family

The surname Thrush was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat at Billesley. "Milo de Brai, father of Hugh Trussel, married c. 1070, Litheuil, Viscountess of Troyes; and c. 1064 founded Longport Abbey, Normandy. Guido Trussel was a distinguished Crusader 1096. He was Lord of Montcheri and Seneschal of France." 2

"The most distinguished personage of the name was the famous [Sir] William Trussell, who was in such estimation with the [House of] Commons in convention assembled, as to be chosen their organ [representative] to pronounce the deposition of the unfortunate Edward II." 3

"An ancient Norman family, located, in the reign of Henry I., in Warwickshire. The baronage mentions, as of this family, Richard Trussel, who fell at the battle of Evesham, temp. Henry III." 4

"Trussell is the name of a distinguished Northamptonshire family of the 14th and 15th centuries, now rarely represented in the county, that hailed originally from Billesley, Warwickshire, in the 12th century." 5

"In 1844 was found, without the walls of the present churchyard [of Billesley, Warwickshire], a stone coffin, containing a head, supposed to be that of a member of the Trussell family (anciently connected with the parish) who was slain at the battle of Evesham." 6

Early History of the Thrush family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thrush research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1221, 1265, 1318, 1319, 1322, 1326, 1330, 1342, 1620 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Thrush History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thrush Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Trussel, Trussell, Trussele, Trusselle and others.

Early Notables of the Thrush family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Trussel or Trussell sometimes styled Baron Trussell (fl. 1330), son of Edmund Trussel of Peatling in Leicestershire and Cubblesdon in Staffordshire. "He was pardoned as one of the adherents of Thomas of Lancaster on 1 Nov. 1318, and was returned as knight of the shire for Northampton in 1319. Both he and his son were in arms with...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thrush Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thrush Ranking

In the United States, the name Thrush is the 17,113^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Thrush migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Thrush or a variant listed above:

Thrush Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Clement Thrush, who landed in Virginia in 1623 8
Fra Thrush, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 8
William Thrush, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 8
Francis Thrush, who landed in Virginia in 1661 8

Thrush migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Thrush Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Thrush, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9

Citations +

Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
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)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824