Bambra

This interesting surname is of Olde English pre 7th century origins. Recorded in a wide range of spellings including the popular Bamber, Baumber, Bambar, Bambra, and Bambre, it is a locational name. It is believed to derive from the village of Bamber Bridge, in the county of Lancashire where the name is very widely recorded in all its various forms. However some name holders may originate from Bambers Green in Essex, or possibly in some cases, from the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The Lancashire placename is recorded as "Bymbrig" in the 13th century, the derivation being from the personal name "Bimme", and "brycg", a raised road over a fen or river. The personal name as "Bimme" also appears in the 1246 Assize Rolls of Lancashire, and is of uncertain origin. During the Middle Ages, when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. Recordings of the surname from surviving church registers of the post medieval period include: the christening of Robert, son of Thomas and Isabel Bamber, at Standish church, on January 19th 1578, Robert Bambre at the church of St Vedast, in the city of London, on November 30th 1582, and the rare recording of Martha Bambra, at Rochdale, Lancashire, on July 10th 1799, when she married John Leach. The first recorded spelling of the family name in the church registers may be that of John Bamber, which was dated November 28th 1564, when he married Joan Dobson at Kirkham church, Lancashire. This was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st of England, and known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.