The surname of BERRETT was of the baptismal group of surnames meaning 'the son of Berold'. This personal name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Surnames before the Norman Conquest of 1066 were rare in England having been brought by the Normans when William the Conqueror invaded the shores. The practice spread to Scotland and Ireland by the 12th century, and in Wales they appeared as late as the 16th century. Most surnames can be traced to one of four sources, locational, from the occupation of the original bearer, nicknames or simply font names based on the first name of the parent being given as the second name to their child. Early records of the name include Stephanus filius Beroldi who was documented during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189). Seman Barette of the County of Hampshire appears in the year 1207 and Berard de Wattlesfeld was documented in County Somerset in 1273. William Barrette of the County of Essex was recorded in the year 1327. Thomas Berrett of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Hereditary surnames were originally imported from France into England during the Norman Conquest of 1066. In the two centuries or so after the Conquest surnames were acquired by most families of major landholders, and many landed families of lesser importance. There appears to have been a constant trickle of migration into Britain between about the years 1200 and 150O, mostly from France and the Low Countries, with a small number of migrants from Scandinavia, Germany, Italy and the Iberian peninsular, and occasional individuals from further afield. During this period groups of aliens settled in this country as for example, the Germans who from the late 15th century onwards settled in Cumbria to work the metal mines. Immigration during this time had only a small effect on the body of surnames used in Britain. In many cases, the surnames of immigrants were thoroughly Anglicised. The late sixteenth century saw the arrival, mostly in London and the south-coast ports of large numbers of people fleeing from the war regions of France. Later instances of the name include Edward Barret of County Devon who registered at Oxford University in 1575 and Charles Berett of County Lancashire, was listed in the Wills at Chester in the year 1606. |
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