Bussy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Bussy

What does the name Bussy mean?

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Bussy family lived at the parish of Bussey in Hereford. 1 The name, however, is a reference to the family's former place of residence, Bouce, in Orne, Normandy. 2

Another source disagrees. The Duchess of Cleveland in her work "The Battle Abbey Roll," notes the family likely came from "Buci, in Normandy. Robert de Buci held a great barony in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire in 1086 3: but left no heir save a daughter, married to Ralph Basset, Justiciary of England under Henry I. " 4

Early Origins of the Bussy family

The surname Bussy was first found in Leicestershire at Wyfordby, a parish, in the union of Melton-Mowbray, hundred of Framland. "This place, at the time of the Conquest, was granted to Roger de Bussy, Baron of Tickhill, in the county of York." 5

"Jordan de Bussi, is mentioned in the time of Stephen, when he held his uncle Walter Espec's castle of Werke, 'and gallantly repulsed the attack of William Fitz Duncan, King of Scots.' Of his descendants I am unable to find any account, except that they held of Mowbray in the thirteenth century." 2

"The first Jordan de Bussy, called, in the pedigree, the son of Lambert, founded a great Lincolnshire house, that lasted till the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign. There exists no county history to blazon their deeds of arms or count up their forfeitures: we are not informed on which side they fought during the Barons' War, or whether they wore the colours of York or Lancaster. " 4

"Dom. Hugh de Buscy" occurs in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1272 as a landowner in Northumberland, Norfolk, Lincoln, Suffolk and Sussex; and may have been the father of Hugh de Bowcy, Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex in 1340. " 4

Early History of the Bussy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bussy research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1381, 1388, 1391, 1393, 1394, 1397, 1399, 1800 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Bussy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bussy Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Bussey, Busse, Bushe, Boosie, Boosey, Bowsey, Busey and many more.

Early Notables of the Bussy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir John Bussy (d. 1399), Speaker of the House of Commons and Sheriff of Lincoln in 1379, 1381, and 1391...
, Sir John Bussy, Sir William Bagot, and Sir Thomas Green acted as prolocutors of the king's grievances, and Fitzalan, archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earls of Arundel and Wa...
Bussy gained the favour of the king by grossly flattering his vanity...

Bussy Ranking

In France, the name Bussy is the 3,405^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 6

Bussy migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Bussy or a variant listed above:

Bussy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Bussy, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Eliz Bussy, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7

Bussy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bussy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann Bussy, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Ward" from Limerick, Ireland

Contemporary Notables of the name Bussy (post 1700) +

Alain le Bussy (b. 1950), Belgian, science fiction writer

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)