This interesting surname, with variant spellings Calburt, Colbert,Kalber, etc., originated from the Old German personal name "Colbert" which is composed of the pre 7th Century Germanic elements "col" meaning black plus "behrt" a warrior or soldier; hence "dark haired warrior". In England "Colbert" appears three times in the Domesday Book of 1086, in Devon, Lincolnshire and Cheshire. The original surname holders are shown to be found in Devon in the early 13th Century, (see below). On October 23rd 1616, Thomas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Colbert, was christened at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London. The marriage of Richard Calbert and Mary Camble took place on September 3rd 1639, at Thirsk, Yorkshire. Jane Calbert married William Ffeast on March 31st 1657, at Much Hadham, Hertfordshire. On February 25th 1676, William Calbert married Dorothy Milford, at St. Mary, St. Marylebone Road., London. The Colbert family were granted no less than six coat of arms circa 1680, depicting a red serpant on a gold field. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Colbert, which was dated 1205, The Pipe Rolls of Devonshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1216 - 1272. 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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