History encouraged by local dialect, does funny things to names, and particularly 'French' names. This is a good example. The derivation is from the Norman 'Breci' - a village in Nothern France, and recorded Heraldically in France as Breccy. In England, there are four known modern spellings i.e. Brace, Brassey, Bracy and Braxay. The name development being from Bresci to Baraci (C 1300) to Bracve (C 1560) to Brassye (C 1575), the present spellings being after C 1700. The French Coat of Arms being, Two Crossed Scimitars on a Red Field. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alice de Breci. which was dated 1273, The Pipe Rolls of Cambridge. during the reign of King Edward I, The Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. 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.

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