Bilbrey

This very interesting surname is of Olde English pre 7th century origins. It is locational, and derives from either of two villages called Bilborough and Bilsborough. These villages are near the town of Garstang in the county of Lancashire, or the town of Tadcaster in the county of Yorkshire. Both these places were originally pronounced in their local areas as 'Bilsbury, Billsberry, or Bilbrey'. The surname however spelt, translates as 'The fortress (burg) of the Bila", the latter being a tribe of the pre Norman (1066) period who were widely recorded in the North of England. Early examples of the surname recording taken from authentic registers and charters of the period include, Abraham de Billburg of York, in the 1379 Poll Tax rolls for the county, Johane Bilbery, buried at St James church, Clerkenwell, London, in 1567, and Widow Bilsbroughe, "a pentioner", who was buried at St Michaels church, Cornhill, London, in 1632.The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard de Billisburgh which was dated 1273, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Lancashire, during the reign of King Edward I, known as "The hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307.