This interesting surname with variant spellings Burberye, Burbury, Burberry, etc., is of English locational origin from one of the estimated seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets that have now disappeared from the maps in Britain. The prime cause of these "disappearances" was the enforced "clearing" and dispersal of the former inhabitants to make way for sheep pastures at the height of the wool trade in the 14th Century. Natural causes such as the Black Death of 1348, also contributed to the lost village phenomenon. The place name Burbury is composed of the elements "bur" meaning "cottage" plus "beorg" "hill" or "mound". The earliest recording dates back to the early 17th Century, (see below). Further recordings include Hesther, daughter of Anne Burberry, who was christened at St. Michael, Queenlithe, London, on May 27th 1681, and Edward Burberry married Abigail Ward at St. James, Dukes Place, London, on May 21st 1696. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alse Burberye married Edward Butt, which was dated 1609, St. Bride, Fleet Street, London, during the reign of King James 1 of England and Scotland, 1603 - 1625. 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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