John Thornbury, of Faversham

Origin:
The ancestry of the name Thornbury dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Thornborough found in the counties of Buckinghamshire and North Yorkshire.

Thornbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Origins Available: England England
The ancestry of the name Thornbury dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Thornborough found in the counties of Buckinghamshire and North Yorkshire. Thornbury is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape or area were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the surname was originally derived from the Old English thorn broc which means that the original bearers of the surname Thornbury were named due to their close proximity to the stream by the thorns.

Early Origins of the Thornbury family
The surname Thornbury was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat at Selsheyd (now known as Selside.) This chapelry, in the parish, union, and ward of Kendal is now in the county of Westmorland. "The chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas, was erected in lieu of a more ancient edifice, about 1720, by the inhabitants, on a site given by William Thornburgh, Esq.; and was rebuilt on an enlarged scale in 1837, at an expense of about £600." [1]

Early History of the Thornbury family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thornbury research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1313, 1391, 1394, 1401, 1414, 1401, 1404, 1416, 1419, 1563, 1593, 1551, 1641, 1593, 1603, 1617, 1588 and 1603 are included under the topic Early Thornbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thornbury Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Thornbury have been found, including Thornborough, Thornbury, ThornBerry, Thornborrowe, Thornbery, Thornburgh and many more.

Early Notables of the Thornbury family (pre 1700)
Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Thornbury; and Walter de Thornbury (died 1313), an English-born statesman and cleric probably born in Herefordshire who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. William Thornburgh was Member of Parliament for Westmorland in 1391, 1394, 1401 and 1414. Roland Thornburgh was Member of Parliament for Westmorland in 1401, 1404, 1416 and 1419. Edward Thornborough (born c.1563) was an English politician, Member...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thornbury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Thornbury migration to the United States +
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Thornbury, or a variant listed above:

Thornbury Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Thomas Thornbury, (Thornebury), aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1616 aboard the ship "George" [2]
Richard Thornbury, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 [2]
Rowland Thornbury, who landed in Virginia in 1696 [2]
Thornbury Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Anne Thornbury, who landed in Virginia in 1713 [2]
William Thornbury, who landed in Virginia in 1714 [2]
Thornbury Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
James and Mary Thornbury, who settled in New England in 1805
Js Thornbury, who landed in America in 1805 [2]
Mary Thornbury, who arrived in America in 1805 [2]
John Thornbury, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 [2]
William Thornbury, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1855 [2]
Contemporary Notables of the name Thornbury (post 1700) +
John G. Thornbury, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Logan County, 1952, 1960 [3]
Caleb N. Thornbury, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 28th District, 1862-63 [3]
George Walter Thornbury (1828-1876), English author from London, son of George Thornbury, solicitor, of 16 Chancery Lane
Scott Thornbury (b. 1950), New Zealand internationally recognized academic and teacher trainer
Thomas Thornbury (b. 1963), retired Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player from Lindsay, Ontario

The Thornbury Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

A brief history of Thornbury
Places
Bridges
Cemeteries
Floor Plans
Land Sales
Maps
Memorials
Parks & Gardens
Real Estate Sales
Statues & sculptures
Streets
Suburbs
Swimming Pools
Waterways
In 1837 Robert Hoddle surveyed the area later to be known as Thornbury and High Street was established as part of Melbourne’s grid system of street planning. Eight long, narrow allotments of between 140 and 260 acres which offered frontages of either the Merri or Darebin Creek, were bought by property speculators. The allotments were divided by High Street (refer to map pg. 7 Lemon).

Those with Merri Creek frontages were much more fertile and cost up to three times as much per acre as those with Darebin Creek frontages. Of the early speculators only Michael Pender settled using his property, “Pender’s Grove”, for farming from as early as 1843. The name Thornbury came around 1850 when one early settler, Job Smith, named his property after a farm near his English birthplace. The initial land subdivision was however, largely unsuccessful and few sections were sold.

It wasn’t until the Melbourne land boom of 1880s that Thornbury took off. Sales began when it became apparent that the railway from Collingwood to Whittlesea via Preston would have to pass through Thornbury. Vehicular access to the city was gained when a bridge was erected over the Merri Creek in 1886 and St Georges Rd was constructed. Those who held onto their properties were richly rewarded, as exemplified by Smith who sold his property at a profit of 1,500%. In 1889 the railway line was opened with a station built at Thornbury and a cable tramway was soon to follow in 1890 running the length of High St from Northcote to the Preston border. It wasn’t until 1904 that a direct train line from the city to Thornbury was linked by railway to Clifton Hill, establishing a faster route to Melbourne. As a result settlement was sparse up to this point.

The rise of industry, particularly brickworks, in Thornbury and nearby Preston and Northcote lead to further development of Thornbury during the pre War period. The Pender’s Grove Estate scheme was initiated by the Closer Settlement Board to help workers obtain low cost housing which could be leased and eventually owned. The population of the estate grew from 95 in 1909 to 329 in 1911. By 1914 a small cluster of shops existed on High Street and the first state school opened in 1915 to accommodate 559 children. The Thornbury Picture Palace was the first local picture theatre in Darebin, screening films in a hall for years before relocating to a larger premises in 1912.

More significant population growth occurred after the Great War, particularly in the 1920s, with shops along High Street beginning to merge with those in Croxton, the northern extremity of Northcote. One of the predominant architectural styles in Thornbury is the California Bungalow which is an indicator of the amount of settlement during the 1920s-30s. Migration, beginning in the 1950s and continuing until today, has seen the community diversify greatly. According to the 2006 census the majority of overseas born residents come from Italy, Greece, India and China and presently account for approximately 40% of Thornbury’s residents.

Edge, Gary (2004). Surviving the six o’clock swill: a history of Darebin’s hotels. Melbourne: Darebin Libraries.

Lemon, Andrew (1983). The Northcote Side of the River. North Melbourne: Hargreen.

Swift, William George (1928). The history of Northcote: From its first settlement to a city. Northcote, Vic: Leader Publishing.

Ward, Andrew (2001). Darebin Heritage Review 2000. Burwood, Vic: City Of Darebin.

'Northcote History Group' website: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~nhcs/

'eMelbourne - the city past and present' website www.emelbourne.net.
Source: Darebin Libraries
Added to Geni by Janet Milburn 4/26/23