Corbett
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Corbett Genealogy
Corbett comes from the Old French corbet, meaning raven. It might at one time have been a nickname for someone with dark hair. But the raven is also a symbol in heraldry signifying ferocity. Hugh Corbet arrived with William the Conqueror from Normandy and bore this symbol on his crest. He was granted lands in Shropshire and Corbet became a Shropshire name. The surname Corbet began to give way to Corbett from the sixteenth century.
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England. The Corbet line in Shropshire started with Hugh Corbet, the Norman lord, and his son Roger. Their ancestral home was Moreton Corbet near Shrewsbury and they controlled most of what went on within the county. Their name was law.
One branch of this family, based in Longnor Hall, dates from the 1500's. The last in this line was Jane Corbett who married the archdeacon Joseph Plymley. He assumed the name of Corbett and was, as preserved diaries have revealed, a strenuous campaigner against the slave trade.
By the nineteenth century, many Corbetts had moved away from Shropshire to neighboring counties. One such was John Corbett, known as the salt king, who made a fortune from his salt works at Droitwich in Staffordshire. Other Corbetts were to be found along the Welsh borders in Montgomery and Herefordshire.
Scotland. In the early twelfth century, a Corbet branch had secured lands in Roxburgh on the Scottish borders. They held sway there for many generations. Later, Corbets owned lands in Clydesdale and their name in Scotland became increasingly concentrated in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
Ireland. With the border region depressed, many Corbets moved away to Ireland. They settled in Ulster counties such as County Down and Tyrone, and their name was also to be found further south in Tipperary and Cork. However, these Corbetts may not have been Scots, or even English. The Irish surname Corban, from the Gaelic O’Corbiun, was often in those days anglicized to Corbett.
Again, economic hardship, this time in Ireland, caused an exodus. Most left in the hopes of a better life; while some, like James Corbett from Tipperary, were forcibly removed as convicts. John Corbett, a Scots-Irish Ulsterman, was an early trans-Atlantic crosser, settling in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the 1690’s. A century later, we find a cluster of Corbetts at Chapel’s Grove in Newfoundland. Later emigration took place to New York, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
America. Three doughty men were the products of this Corbett Irish stock. The first, Gentleman Jim Corbett, born in San Francisco, was crowned heavyweight champion of the world in 1892; the second, Jim Corbett, born of Irish parents in India, was famous for hunting man-eating tigers and then writing about his exploits; and the third, somewhat less known, was a grizzled sea veteran who became a guide and mentor to the great Wall Street financier, Alfred Hatch (a book Jack Corbett: Mariner, recently published, celebrates his life).
There were a number of variants of the Corbett name in early America, Corbett, Corbet, Corbitt, and Corbitts (a Corbitt branch still flourishes in southeast Virginia). Many came via Virginia and settled in North Carolina and elsewhere in the south John Corbitt was one of the first settlers in the Wiregrass region of SE Georgia. The family later moved onto Florida.
Caribbean. William Corbett had arrived in the Caribbean on the sloop Catherine in 1679. His family were, for generations, sugar planters near Johnson’s Point in Antigua. However, their way of life came to an abrupt end in 1833 with emancipation. Edward Corbett, the planter then, was imprisoned for his mistreatment of slaves on a boundary dispute and died in jail, reportedly “from rage.”
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Select Corbett Names
Hugh Corbet, who came over with William the Conqueror and settled in Shropshire, is the acknowledged forebear of the Corbetts.
John Corbett from Staffordshire was the salt king of England in late Victorian times, through his salt works at Droitwich.
Gentleman Jim Corbett won the heavyweight boxing championship in 1892. He is sometimes called the “father of modern boxing” for his scientific approach to boxing.
Ronnie Corbett was a popular British TV comic actor, best known for his appearances on The Two Ronnies.
Select Corbetts Today
Corbett comes from the Old French corbet, meaning raven. It might at one time have been a nickname for someone with dark hair. But the raven is also a symbol in heraldry signifying ferocity. Hugh Corbet arrived with William the Conqueror from Normandy and bore this symbol on his crest. He was granted lands in Shropshire and Corbet became a Shropshire name. The surname Corbet began to give way to Corbett from the sixteenth century.
Select Corbett Resources on The Internet
- The Corbett Study Group. Links to Corbett Study Group.
- Corbetts in Newfoundland. The Corbett family in Chapel's Cove.
- Irish Corbetts in Canada. Websites on Rootsweb freepages/C - Corbett family.
- Corbitt Virginia Family Website. Websites on Rootsweb freepages/C - Corbitt.
- Corbett Family Forum. Search - Corbett DNA
project.
England. The Corbet line in Shropshire started with Hugh Corbet, the Norman lord, and his son Roger. Their ancestral home was Moreton Corbet near Shrewsbury and they controlled most of what went on within the county. Their name was law.
One branch of this family, based in Longnor Hall, dates from the 1500's. The last in this line was Jane Corbett who married the archdeacon Joseph Plymley. He assumed the name of Corbett and was, as preserved diaries have revealed, a strenuous campaigner against the slave trade.
By the nineteenth century, many Corbetts had moved away from Shropshire to neighboring counties. One such was John Corbett, known as the salt king, who made a fortune from his salt works at Droitwich in Staffordshire. Other Corbetts were to be found along the Welsh borders in Montgomery and Herefordshire.
Scotland. In the early twelfth century, a Corbet branch had secured lands in Roxburgh on the Scottish borders. They held sway there for many generations. Later, Corbets owned lands in Clydesdale and their name in Scotland became increasingly concentrated in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
Ireland. With the border region depressed, many Corbets moved away to Ireland. They settled in Ulster counties such as County Down and Tyrone, and their name was also to be found further south in Tipperary and Cork. However, these Corbetts may not have been Scots, or even English. The Irish surname Corban, from the Gaelic O’Corbiun, was often in those days anglicized to Corbett.
Again, economic hardship, this time in Ireland, caused an exodus. Most left in the hopes of a better life; while some, like James Corbett from Tipperary, were forcibly removed as convicts. John Corbett, a Scots-Irish Ulsterman, was an early trans-Atlantic crosser, settling in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the 1690’s. A century later, we find a cluster of Corbetts at Chapel’s Grove in Newfoundland. Later emigration took place to New York, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
America. Three doughty men were the products of this Corbett Irish stock. The first, Gentleman Jim Corbett, born in San Francisco, was crowned heavyweight champion of the world in 1892; the second, Jim Corbett, born of Irish parents in India, was famous for hunting man-eating tigers and then writing about his exploits; and the third, somewhat less known, was a grizzled sea veteran who became a guide and mentor to the great Wall Street financier, Alfred Hatch (a book Jack Corbett: Mariner, recently published, celebrates his life).
There were a number of variants of the Corbett name in early America, Corbett, Corbet, Corbitt, and Corbitts (a Corbitt branch still flourishes in southeast Virginia). Many came via Virginia and settled in North Carolina and elsewhere in the south John Corbitt was one of the first settlers in the Wiregrass region of SE Georgia. The family later moved onto Florida.
Caribbean. William Corbett had arrived in the Caribbean on the sloop Catherine in 1679. His family were, for generations, sugar planters near Johnson’s Point in Antigua. However, their way of life came to an abrupt end in 1833 with emancipation. Edward Corbett, the planter then, was imprisoned for his mistreatment of slaves on a boundary dispute and died in jail, reportedly “from rage.”
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Select Corbett Names
Hugh Corbet, who came over with William the Conqueror and settled in Shropshire, is the acknowledged forebear of the Corbetts.
John Corbett from Staffordshire was the salt king of England in late Victorian times, through his salt works at Droitwich.
Gentleman Jim Corbett won the heavyweight boxing championship in 1892. He is sometimes called the “father of modern boxing” for his scientific approach to boxing.
Ronnie Corbett was a popular British TV comic actor, best known for his appearances on The Two Ronnies.
Select Corbetts Today
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