Brimham

Recorded as Brimham, Brimman, Brimon, Bryham, Brymham, and possibly others, this is an English locational surname. It originates from the hamlet of Brimham in North Yorkshire, near the town of Harrogate, and by the natural landscape feature of Brimham Rocks. The place itself was first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as Birnebeham and later in 1135 as Bernebeam. According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Places Names it means the place (ham) where bees were found. This seems at best an unlikely explanation, since in those days before intensive faming and attendant pollution, bees were found almost everywhere. An examination of the original name spelling would suggest that a more logical derivation is from the ancient English word "baernet" meaning burnt, since the whole of Yorkshire from north and west of the city of York, upto Hadrians Wall was burnt and laid waste by King William 1st, and commonally known to history as "The Conqueror" in 1069. This followed support by the then local inhabitants for King Sweyn of Denmark. It is unclear when the surname was first recorded but Daniell Brimham also recorded as Daniell Brimman, was recorded at St Peters church, Leeds, West Yorkshire, on September 20th 1694,