Gisbey

Recorded as Gasby, Gisby, Gisbey, and possibly others, this is an English surname, although one probably of pre 7th century Norse-Viking origins. It is locational, but as no such place is recorded we believe that it may be either from a now 'lost' medieval village of presumabley the same or near spelling, or a transposed spelling of an existing place. If the latter we believe that it may be from the small town of Guisborough in North Yorkshire, first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ghighesburg, or Gigr's castle. As a 'lost' village name it could be from the Olde English word 'geac' and the Viking 'bi", to give a meaning of Cuckoo Farm. The surname is much better recorded in the city of London than in its assumed home county. This would suggest that at some point in history, the original village was cleared in someway, perhaps through a plague, and the survivors left on mass. Early examples of the surname recording include include Elizabeth Gisbye, at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney on March 12th 1614, whilst Samuel Gisbey was also recorded at the same church on January 23rd 1672, in the reign of Charles II (1660 - 1685). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Gisbie. This was dated September 11th 1608, when he was a witness at St. Giles Cripplegate, in the city of London, during the reign of King James Ist of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.