Maybury, Mayberry, Maybery, Mabry … ‘What’s in a name?'

A quick search through the internet will yield an assortment of theories on the origins of the Maybury surname, often based on the resemblance of some form of its spelling to a place or person. Indeed, a collection of individuals with surnames similar to Maybury can be assembled from early historical documents. However, a sobering fact has emerged from the DNA testing of over 150 men from England, Ireland, North America, Australasia and South Africa who carry versions of the Maybury surname - 70% have a common ancestor believed to be John Maybury (various spellings), an ironworker who began his working life in Sussex, England, and died in Shropshire in 1618. It is quite possible that he, like many 16th century ironworkers, was a descendant of a skilled ironworker enticed from the Continent by an English ironmaster. Of the other 30% of men, many appear to be descendants of persons who have, relatively recently, adopted or inherited various forms of the Maybury surname under a variety of circumstances.  

Don Collins was asked many times over the years about supposed relationships between the Mayburys and other families with similar surnames. In 2016, he answered two such questions:

Are the Maybury and Mowbray/Moubray families related?

The Maybury and Mowbray families are both subject to numerous variant spellings, especially in early English records. This has led to speculation that the two families are related or that the Mayburys somehow descended from the Mowbrays. However, the two families are not related. The Mowbrays appeared in England much earlier and, for the most part, in different parts of England. In addition, DNA studies of both families show that the two families have distinct DNA signatures.

Are the Maybury and Marbury families related?

DNA tests show that the Maybury family and the Marbury/Marberry family are not related. Most American Marburys/Marberrys descend from Francis Marbury who came to Maryland from England about 1690. A separate Marbury/Marberry DNA Project has been established to learn more about the relationships in that family.

The confusion surrounding the origin and history of the Maybury surname comes from the difficulty in differentiating the great variety of spellings of the Maybury surname from the great variety of other similarly spelt or sounding surnames. Don Collins explored this issue back in 2014:

How do you spell Maybury?

117 different spellings of Maybury all found in original records!

In years past, when many people were unable to read and write, their documents and were written for them by various clerks, clergy, census takers, etc. Those who wrote the documents usually spelled the name of the person before them the way it sounded to them at the time. Our family name, like most other names, has been recorded in many different ways over the centuries. The spellings below have all been found in original records. The spellings shown in red are the most common today.

This is well illustrated by the records left behind by a SINGLE individual - our common ancestor, John Maybury of Sussex (ca 1540-1618).

When he married Margaret Bourder in Brightling, Sussex in 1565 his name was written as John Meberie.

When their daughter, Elizabeth was baptized in Etchingham in 1569 his name was given as John Mabery.

When his sons, John and Richard were baptized in 1570, his name was written as John Mayberie, and John Meabury respectively.

The parish register at Mayfield records him as John Mabry, when his daughter Mary was baptized in 1574.

The following year, when his son, Clement, was baptized, he was called John Mabery.

When his wife, Margaret, was buried at Mayfield in February 1576 he was John Maberye.

When he re-married a few months later it was still Maberye but his given name was written as Johathan.

When he failed to attend a frankpledge meeting at Hartfield in 1581, he was noted as John Maybury.

He was called John Maybery when his daughter, Elizabeth, was buried at Etchingham in 1593.

The record of the burial of his first son, John, at Bexhill uses the spelling Mayberie.

Just a month later at Burwash, when his daughter, Joan, was married, he was John Maybery.

Ten years later he was called John Maberye again, when his wife died at Ellastone in Staffordshire.

In a Monmouth court record in 1605 he was called John Mabery.

In July 1606, when his son William was baptized, he was John Mayberie.

When John Astell brought suit against him in Hampshire in 1609, the name was written as John Mayberrie.

And when he died at Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire early in 1618 the burial record says John Maybery.

Thus, we have John Maybury's name spelled at least nine different ways in a period of fifty-three years. It should not surprise us that the name continues to be spelled in so many ways in our own time!

A Note to Family Historians

Those researching their family history often insist, for example, that: 

"My family always spelled its name "MABERRY" as can be seen in two different census records and one deed". 

"Our family always spelled the name MAYBERRY, I'm sure that is the correct spelling."

"I have never seen the name spelled other than "MABRY".

Family researchers should always beware of such statements. They are usually based on a few records. Additional research almost always turns up other records in which the name is spelled otherwise. Most statements like this are based on two or three generations. A look at the records of earlier or later generations will usually find exceptions. Records were not always written by immediate family members; others, including clergy, county clerks, judges, and even friends and neighbors may have supplied information, spelling the name the way it sounded to them.

As has already been explained, we have found more than 100 different spellings of our family in all kinds of records and documents over more than 500 years! Yet these variant spellings can almost certainly be traced to the same family. The moral of the story is that when you are looking for information about your family, be sure to look for different spellings. If you limit your search to a single spelling, you are likely to miss important records!

Don Collins

2014