Borsay

This French Huguenot surname is well recorded back to its first appearance in England in 1661, concurrent with the restoration of King Charles the Second. The name is apparently anglicised from the French "Bousier" an occupational name for a merchant or possibly an early banker. The modern meaning would be a Stock Broker, but the name is too early for such a direct translation. Clearly the original holders were prominent persons particularly in Lyon and Languedoc, the Coat of Arms for the Bousier's of Lyon being a Gold Cross on a black field, the cross being charged with five scallop shells indicating pilgrimages to the Holy Land in medieval times. It would seem that there were two Boursie families who entered England at the same time, headed by Daniell (see below) and Pierre. Daniell had at least four children, the first three, Susanne, Marie, and Ann, would seem to have been recorded as "Boursie" but the son Daniell, appears as "Bourseye" on April 16th 1676. On October 14th 1762 the name appears as Borsey, when Samuel Borsey, the son of Peter and Elizabeth Borsey was christened at Endell Street Hospital, Holborn. However he seems to have died because on March 5th 1767, a second Samuel is recorded except now the spelling both for father and son is Borsay. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Daniell Boursie, which was dated July 8th 1661, a christening witness with his wife Anne (Bequet) at Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church, London, during the reign of King Charles 11, known as "The Merry Monarch" 1660 - 1685. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.