Westbury

Recorded as Westbyr, Westberg, Westberry, Westbury, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is locational from one of the various parishes called Westbury, mainly found in the West Country. In all cases the name means "The West Fort", from the pre 7th century "west-burg". These "west forts" were originally built by the Romans or later Anglo-Saxons to protect the trade routes from attacks by the Bretons or Welsh. Westbury upon Trym near Bristol is recorded as early as the year 761 a.d., making it one the the very first of all known surviving records from the very begining of written English history. Locational surnames are usually by their nature,"from" names. That is to say names given to people as easy identification after they left their origin homes and moved elsewhere. This would probably explain why the first of all known surname recordings is to be found in the charters of the county of Buckinghamshire, when Agnes de Westburi appears in the Hundred Rolls of landowners in the county, in the year 1273. Another recording from the same period is that of John de Westburg of Southampton, whilst later examples include William Westberry who was buried at St James Clerkenwell in the city of London in 1649, and Sarah Westbury who married Thomas Croucher at St Georges Chapel, Hanover Square, Westminster, in 1651.