Firby

Firby is a toponym and family name found throughout the Anglosphere. It is from the Old English name "Fredebi", its Middle English spelling was Fritheby, since Gallicised into Early Modern English as Firby, although numerous spellings (Furby, Furbee, Ferby and Furbay) have existed since Modern English. Related English families are Fitzhugh of Ravensworth and FitzRandolph of Middleham, both of whom also descend from Bretons since the Harrying of the North and were integral to foundations in the Honour of Richmond.

United Kingdom

Firby is 685 acres and a Liberty of Richmondshire, in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, also part of the Diocese of Middlesbrough. Some places within Firby are:

*Firby Hall. The worth of Firby at the time of Domesday Book's compilation was 13 shillings, compared to its earlier worth under Edwin, Earl of Mercia as 10 shillings. Fritheby was part of Alain Le Roux's "Honour of Richmond" that was divided to the Middleham estate of Ribald, before becoming the inheritance of the FitzAlans/FitzBrians of Bedale. From them, the family of Miles Stapleton inherited it, inviting their Scargill relatives to live there [http://www.pages.portables2.ngfl.gov.uk/ascargill/family.html] . "Papist" Mr. George Metcalfe resided here and opposed the quartering of David Leslie, Lord Newark's Covenanters during the Civil War. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=23811] Harry Rouse, Esq. lived at Firby Hall, being J.P. and Deputy-Lieutenant for the North Riding of Yorkshire.

*Firby Grange is a former glebe of Jervaulx Abbey, sometime workplace for Friar Alan [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=49740&strquery=Firby#s33] of the Cistercians and their Hospitaller associates.

*Christ's Hospital (an Anglican almshouse founded in 1608 by John Clapham, a Chancery clerk for Queen Elizabeth's William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley--whose son and heir Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter held possession of neighboring Snape, part of the larger Middleham estate. This property passed to the paternal family of Anne Isabella Byron, Baroness Byron, whom owned the manor of Well. From Milbanks, the hospital passed onto Ropners of Thorpe Perrow. Firbys from here in the 20th century relocated to Firby Close in Stockton-on-Tees and Firby Close in Hartlepool, within what was known as Cleveland, England. Two S.S. Firby ships were built in Stockton-on-Tees. One of the ships was a casualty of a Nazi-Germany U-boat under commander Herman Schultz, while the second ship was scrapped in the latter half of that century. Their shipping association in West Hartlepool was promoted by the Ropner family [http://www.aandc.org/research/ropner.html] of Thorpe Perrow [http://www.thorpperrow.com/history.html] , which lies about a mile SW from Firby in the parish of Well.

*Low and High Ash Banks, Mile House and Manley Farms. There is also Firby Beck, connected to Bedale Beck in the north.

There is a Firby Road at Gallowfield's Trading Estate in Richmond, North Riding of Yorkshire.

There is a Firby Lane in Ripon. (c.f. Richmond, West Riding of Yorkshire)

There is a hamlet named Firby in Fawkham, Kent. (c.f. Richmond, Surrey)

As can easily be surmised, English toponymy regarding Richmond and Firby have rather close parallels; both are settlements in the North and West Ridings of York, as well as having a presence in the London area.

Sir Leonard Firby was considered a "delinquent". [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=9259&strquery=Firby]

Bill Firby was an early 21st Century Labour Party (UK) Councillor for Deerness Valley in County Durham.

Canada

Bayham, Ontario in Canada has a Firby Cemetery now allotted to the local Methodist congregation and the family came with Thomas Talbot (Upper Canada). Captain William Firby commanded the "Landsdowne" on the Great Lakes border. There is a Furby House Books in Port Hope, Ontario. Furby Street Community Garden is in Winnipeg, Manitoba upon Red River Colony. Firby Court in Coquitlam, British Columbia is due to Fort Vancouver.

Australia

Firby Street in Cloverdale, Western Australia dates back to the Swan River Colony.

United States

Darby-Firby Neighborhood Corporation is in Yorktown, Virginia. Firby Road was founded by one of the First Families of Virginia. Furbee School and Furbee Cemetery in Marion County, West Virginia; Furbee Ridge and Furbee Run in Wetzel County, West Virginia; Furbay Cemetery in Harrison County, Ohio were all once part of York County, Virginia and may have been settled because of the Ohio Company.

Others

Another and less important township of Firby is west of Westow civil parish, Buckrose wapentake, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Today, this place is administered within Ryedale in the North York Moors. The Yorkshire footpath, Centenary Way, passes through from south to north in the pasture. The North Eastern Railway (UK) parallels the River Derwent, Yorkshire along the north. Huttons Ambo (named after the township northeast of here) Angling Club is hosted at the hall. Some names of places within Firby include: Firby Hall, Firby Wood, Coldwell Plantation, Jeffery Bog Plantation and St. Mary's Vicar House.

There are two Newfoundland outports on the Grand Banks, called Furby's Cove in Hermitage and Furby's Harbour in Burgeo. They have probably been there since the Georgian era.