This page contains research notes concerning the origin of the surname and a chronological list of persons with the surname Ferriby, Feriby, Fereby (and other variant spellings) from the 1100s to the year 1300. ORIGINS The surname de Ferriby was derived from two villages, North Ferriby, Yorkshire. and South Ferriby, Linconshire, on opposite banks of the Humber River that anchored a two mile ferry crossing across this tidal estuary. The "by" suffix is of Norse origin and means a farmstead. It is common in place names of the Danelaw, the area of Northeast England controlled by the Vikings in the 800s and 900s.

South Ferriby South Ferriby is a small village situated on a chalk ridge or wold at the mouth of the Ancholme River. It lies three miles west of Barton on Humber. It's origins are lost in the mists of history. The ferry existed from, at least, the Bronze Age onwards. The Roman road called Ermine Street that originated at York crossed at a ferry several miles east of here and a branch road and ferry crossing were built in S. Ferriby (traces of it were found in 1990s excavations). Ermine Street continued south to Lincoln (about 35 mi.) and eventually London (about 165 mi.). The village is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Survey and the ferry crossing is rated the second most profitable of those crossing the Humber. The Saxon lord, Ulf Fenisc owned the manor here until it was given to Gilbert de Gand (Gaunt) after the Norman Conquest. Gand was also lord of Barton and the manor of Folkingham. After the death of Maurice de Gand in 1230 without issue, his lands in Lincolnshire were claimed by Andrew Lutterell a cousin. During the medieval period much of the manorial lands in the parish were controlled by religous institutions. However, a 1408 lawsuit "Rex vs. Fereby" shows that this family owned land here at this date. During the 1630s the Ancholme River was canalized and a sluice gate erected at its debouchment into the Humber. The village lies in the parish of South Ferriby and the medieval church is named St.Nicholas.

North Ferriby North Ferriby sits atop a chalk ridge or wold on the north bank of the Humber about seven miles west of Hull, Yorks. It lies about 35 miles south of York by the Roman Ermine Street. Between 1937 and 1962 the remains of three Bronze Age boats were discovered here along the eroding river banks. The boats dating to 2000 b.c.e. were each about 50' long and had flat hulls of planks tied together with twine. The Ferriby Boats were one of the most important maritime archaeological discoveries of the 1900s. These boats were the proper size and type to serve the ferry crossing. In about 1200 a small priory was established here by Lord de Vesci. Some historians say it was an Augustinian order, others a Templar, it was held by the Knights Hospilitars from the 1400s till 1536 when it was seized by Henry VIII. The buildings were completely destroyed. Some historians claim that the parish church, All Saints, was the chapel of the priory, but this is doubtful. All Saints was demolished and rebuilt in 1848. During the Middle Ages the manor of North Ferriby belonged first to the Mortimers, then the de Vesci., In the mid 1300s to late 1400s part of the manor was held by the de la Pole family and part along with the manor of Swanland by the Furnival whose heiress Lora (Loretta) married John de Usflete. The foundation of the port of Hull in 1299 and its expansion in the 1300s under the patronage of Edward III caused the rapid decline of North and South Ferriby, as well as nearby Barton. In 1354 William de Feriby (d.1379) archdeacon of Cleveland endowed chantries in N. Ferriby and in adjacent Melton with income from his lands in North Cave, Hotham, Melton, North Ferriby, Swanland, and Kirk Ella (all are nearby). In 1397 the Waldby Register lists Willam de Feriby, donzel (squire) as patron of the chapel at Melton. Also the marriage of Emma Ferriby to Sir Gerard de Usflete in the mid 1300s recorded in the 1563-4 Visitation of Yorkshire pedigree of Haldenby indicates that members of this family were living in this area in the 1300s (see chronological notes below).

Barton on Humber Barton on Humber, located three miles east of South Ferriby, was an important port and market town during the early medieval period. At the time of the Domesday Survey it was the largest town north of Lincoln. Wool was exported to Flanders and imports came frome Scandanavia and the Baltic. It has been the home of Ferriby's for centuries. They were a wealthy merchant family here during the Middle Ages. For a complete history of Barton go to http://www.barton-net.org. Also check their links to the web sites of St.Peter's Church,an ongoing archaeological investigation of a Saxon church, and St. Mary's Church which has a searchable parish register database with many Ferriby entries.

Other Places Ferbies, Speldhurst, Surrey - This former farm is located one mile west of Speldhurst and almost on the border with East Sussex. It belonged to the de Ferriby family during the 1300s and was sold about 1395 when they moved to St. Paul's Cray, Kent. The place name derives fom the family's ownership denoted by the use of a final possesive S. Firby, Westow parish, N. Riding of Yorkshire - This tiny village (1822 pop. 44) is located four miles SW of Malton. Firby, Bedale parish, N. Riding of Yorkshire - This tiny village (1822 pop. 76) is located one mile south of Bedale. These two Yorkshire villages may have been the origin of people with the surname Firby which occurs in the area. Fearby, a manor and village in Healey parish 2 mi. from Masham and 6 mi. from Bedale in the N. Riding of Yorkshire. The place has prehistoric stone circles. Masham was a peculiar of the Archbishop of York and was famousfor its large sheep fairs. Thomas son of Ralph de Fereby owned land here in the 1300s. Please click on the button located at the right corner below to go to the next page.