Overview Persons with the surname Feriby, Fereby, or Feryby first come to prominence in Yorkshire in association with Archbishop William de Melton (b.c. 1275- d.1340) in the early 1300s. Melton born at a small village of that name near North Ferriby, Yorks called himself a kinsman to WILLIAM DE FEREBY, archdeacon of Cleveland in his will proved 23 Dec. 1379 and named him an executor. Evidently, through these men's influence many members of this family become clerics and royal administrators. JOHN DE FEREBY (fl. 1325-45) held several important offices under Edward III and is named as William's brother in his will. A search of the oldest surviving Yorkshire records shows that the surname was uncommon. The earliest document is RALPH DE FERRIBY named in a Pontefract cartulary dated c. 1200-1290 (YASRS, v.25/30, pp.521-2). Below are listed all the occurences in pre-1400 tax rolls for the county. JOHN and WILLIAM DE FERIBY appear in the 1297 Lay Subsiy Roll for Ravenser, a small port that was located near Easington, Holderness, E. Riding, that eroded into the Humber during the 1300s (Brown, William, ed. _Yorkshire Lay Subsidy, being a 9th collected in 25 Edward I - 1297.YASRS, 1894, vol. 16, p. 118). The surname does not appear in the 1301 lay subsidy rolls (Brown. YASRS, 1897). Two members of the Fereby clan appear in in the 1379 Lay Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire; 1- Johannes Fferyby, Alicia his wife, and a servant in Eastrington parish, Howdenshire wapentake, E. Riding, 2- Nicholaus Fferyby, Hook, Snaith parish, Osgoldcross wapentake, W. Riding. In the city of York the surname first appears in the "husgable" tax rolls in 1284 with 2 buildings owned by RICHARD DE FERYBY (YAJ, v. 50, 81-91). JOHN DE FERIBY appears in the 1327 Lay Subsidy Rolls. Another JOHN DE FERIBY appears in the same roll 8 miles northwest in Newton-Upon-Ouse (YASRS, v.74) By the 1400s the family thrives in York as merchants with JOHN FERIBY (d.1491) serving as alderman, mayor, sheriff, and MP. The York Freemen's Register lists the following people and the date they were granted freedom of the city; William de Feriby draper 1305, William de Feriby somonour 1333, Robert de Feriby pelter 1341, Benedict de Feriby clericus 1352, Thomas de Feriby mercer 1359, Robert de Feriby ironmonger 1390, Robert Fereby (no job) 1407, John Fereby irononger 1415, Thomas Feriby mercator 1424, John Feriby mercator 1446, John Fereby (no job) 1482 (Surtees Society, vol. 96, passim). The surname disappears from records in the city of York after 1500 and the 1523 subsidy rolls for te city of York and the Ainsty lists no Fereby surnames (or variants). The family held land at Reedness near Thorne in the Doncaster area of Yorks by 1381 and Nicholas de Feryby is listed as a resident of adjacent Snaith parish in the 1379 tax levy. Records of the 1400s and 1500s show descendants living in Snaith, Roucliff, and Thorne (all nearby Reedness). They remain at Thorne for generations till the 1800s and often name their sons Robert. The surname is rare in the county by the 1800s, several familes living at Thorne and an extended family at Hull using the spelling FERRABY. However, the surname (or variants) does not appear in the parish register of Holy Trinity Hull between 1558 and 1650. The FIRBY surname seen in Yorks begining in the 1600s appears unrelated to this family and probably derives from the hamlet of that name in the West Riding near Masham. For full citation of sources and more details on the family in Yorks, see the chronological notes in the "Before 1400" and "1400-1500" sections of this site. Listed below are some records and wills related to the family in Yorkshire.

1500s Notes OXFORD ALUMNI EDWARD FERIBEE of co. York, pleb., Hart Hall, matric. 22 Jan. 1584/5 aged 16. RICHARD FERIBY of co. York, pleb., Hart Hall, matric. 2 Jul. 1585 aged 16. (Oxford Alumni Register 1500 - 1714, p.492) HINDERWELL Members of the Fereby family appear in the parish register of this remote fishing village in the N. Riding near Whitby starting in the 1580s through the mid 1600s.

Wills in the York Registry PCY 1379-1611 1379- William de Ferby, Archdeacon of Cleveland 1381- Richard Feryby senior, Mayor of Hull 1404- Thomas Feryby, par. St.Mart., York, date: Feast St. James 1404, proved: 30 Jul. 1404, 3-213 1406- Joan de Feryby, relict of Thos. of York, date: 1 Mar. 1406, proved: 8 Mar. 1406, 3-259 1431- Robert Feryby, chaplain (buried Seamer, N.Riding), date: 5 Jan. 1431, proved: 16 Jan. 1431, 2-600 1435- Robert Fereby, York, date: 4 Nov. 1435, proved: 7 Nov. 1435, 3-436 1436- Robert Feryby, Reedness, date:12 Nov.1436, proved: 29 Jan. 1436 1437- Richard Fereby, Reedness, Esq., date: 7 Sep. 1436, proved: 31 May 1437 1471- Sir John Fereby, Sutton supra Derwent, chaplain, Administration: 1 Apr. 1471 1471- Nicholas Feryby, chapain of Connisbrough, W.Riding, date: 17 Aug. 1471, proved: 5 Sep. 1471, 4-34 1471- John de Feryby, Beverly, Esq., date: 18 Sep. 1470, proved: 26 Jul. 1471, 4-166 1481- Margaret Feryby, Beverly, widow, date: 15 Feb. 1481, proved: 7 Jun. 1482, 5-69 1491- John Feriby, York, merchant, 21 Mar. 1490, proved: 6 Jun. 1491, 5-417 1520- John Feryby, Ousfleet, Pontefract, Probate Act: 25 Jun. 1520 1532- Thomas Feriby of "Rigbornegarth", Ringbrough par Aldbrough E.Riding, 30 Nov. 1531, proved: 17 Apr. 1532, 11-9 1556- Robert Feryby, Thorne, date: 16 Aug. 1556, proved: 22 Dec. 1556, 15-pt. 1-80 1558- James Feribie (registered Afferby), par. Thorne, date: 26 Nov. 1558, proved: 24 Jan. 1558, 15-pt. 3-218 1560- William Ferebie, Runswick par Hinderwell N.Riding, date: 22 May 1560, proved: 16 Aug. 1560, 16-102 1586- James Feribie, Thorne, date: 2 Apr. 1586, proved: 5 Oct. 1586, 23-304 1592- James Feryby, Thorne, Caveat against probate or administration date: April 1592 1595- Edward Ferreby senr., Thorne, date: 20 Jul. 1595, proved:2 Oct. 1595, 26-171 1604- Elizabeth Ferriby, Thorne, Probate Act date: 14 Nov. 1604 1610- Isabela Ferribie, York diocese Doncaster, Probate Act date: 26 Apr. 1610 1610- Thomas Ferebie, Thorne, date: 23 Aug. 1610, proved: 30 Jan 1610, 31-524 1611- William Ferribie, Thorne, yeoman, date: 26 May 1611, proved: 12 Jun. 1611, 31-621

Other Yorks Wills Reference to these wills appear in secondary sources and have not been verified by the author. 1366, WALTER de FERIBY, of Yorks (YASRS, 38) 1378, ROBERT de FERIBY, rector of Foxholes (YASRS, 38) 1394, WILLIAM de FERIBY, rector of Middilton in Schalfordachire (YASRS, 38) 1380, Mr NICHOLAS de FERYBY, of Yorks (YASRS, 38) 1404, JOHN de FERIBY, 1404, RICHARD de FERIBY, 1406, THOMAS de FERYBY -under construction- Probate Inventories of the York Diocese before 1500 (Stell, P.M. & Hampson, L. "Probate Inventories of York Diocese", Dean and Chapter of York, 1998) 1400, Dom. - under construction -

Yorks wills in P.C.C. 1650/1 - Will of Robert Feriby of Thorne (PCC 21 Grey 346), Bequests to; Robert Feriby junior, Joseph Feriby, Elizabeth Feriby senior (wife),Elizabeth Feriby junior (abstract from Society of Genealogists files, London). 1648 - Will of Isabel Ferraby or Ferrabe widow of Staithes, Yorks (PRO Prob 11/206) Staithes is a small fishing village 11 mi. NW of Whitby in the North Riding.