The Lilburns are a family originating in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and were members of the country's lesser gentry throughout the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

up until the 17th century. The family name ''Lilburn'' (variations include ''Lilburne'', ''Lilleburne'' and ''Lilburne'') derives from the original home of the family,

Lilburn, Northumberland Lilburn is a small village in Northumberland, England. It is located in the on the edge of the Cheviots. The local farming estate is centred on Lilburn Tower. The area is noted for its large number of earthworks and remains of prehistoric set ...

.A Dictionary of English Surnames, Percy Hide Reaney, W. A. F. Browne, Richard Middlewood Wilson, Routledge, 1991, p. 1955

Coat of arms

The heraldic blason for the Lilburn coat of arms is: cendree (or sable), three bougets argent. The Lilburn arms appeared "cut in stone" on the chapel of Belford and, albeit no longer visible, were recorded by

Richard Gough Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reach ...

during his tours across Britain to also include an annulet or crescent. A variation is that of the Lilburns of Thickley Punchardon in which the colours appear inverted, as recorded during a Visitation of Northumberland in 1666 for John Lilburne of Thickley Punchardon: argent, three bougets sable, a crescent gules.Foster, J. (1887). ''"Lilburne of Thickley," in Vis. of Durham, 1615'', p. 215. Hathitrust.org. eBook. The motto recorded for the Lilburn family is: "''Vis Viri Fragilis''" ("Weak is the strength of man").

Family history

The Lilburn family can be traced back to Lilburn, Northumberland. The family name can be found carved into ancient gravestones in the vicinity of West Lilburn Tower, Lilburn, and

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

(Holy Island), near the

medieval priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or the Ch ...

. In a 14th-century church's graveyard, near West Lilburn Tower, a number of tombs allegedly belong to the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

, among which some bear the Lilburn name. Over the course of the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries, the Lilburns are recorded to have owned moieties and

knight's fee In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. It would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish himself and h ...

s of numerous manors including those of Belford, Easington, Wooler, Beanly, Shawdon, Glanton and West Lilburn.Middleton, Sir Arthur E. (1918). Sir Gilbert de Middleton. Mawson Swan and Morgan Limited. p. 86-92. They are also recorded to have held significant military and political offices, including as

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s, constables, commissioners of array,

sheriffs A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

and members of

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

well into the 17th Century, primary examples of whom were Sir William Lilburne in the 13th Century and the two Sir John Lilburnes in the 14th Century (see Prominent members and descendants below). As of the 15th Century, a branch of the family, bearing the inverted coat of arms, argent, three bougets sable, is recorded to have held "a modest manorial holding" at Thickley Punchardon, near

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

. Of this line, in the 17th century, John Lilburne and most of his family were key figures in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

s. In his day, the family was noted to be "typical of the lesser gentry in the northern counties: its members often dull and uninspired, sitting in Parliament but saying little, engaging in the minutiae of local magisterial and commercial disputes."John Lilburne, the Leveller, a Christian Democrat, Mildred A. Gibb, L. Drummond, 1967, p. 20

Prominent members

Members of political or military significance

*Sir Robert Lilburn (possibly Hilburne) is recorded among 24 knights of Northumberland, charged on 13 October 1245 to assist in defining the border separating the kingdoms of England and Scotland, between Carham and Hadden, by the precept of Henry III. *Sir William Lilburne was Lord Warden of the Middle Marches in the 13th Century and oldest recorded ancestor of the Thickley Punchardon family line: ** Sir John Lilburne of Lilburn, Wooler and Beanly (1279-1355, grandson of the above William) was a knight who held numerous political and military offices during the first half of the 14th Century''Archaeologia Aeliana'', 4th series, Vol. XI, p. 24. https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-3433-1/dissemination/AAseries4/AA411new/archael411-000-000-PDFs/archael411-021-082-parliament.pdf - accessed 14 November 2022. and took part in Thomas 2nd Earl of Lancaster's rebellion against

King Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

alongside Gilbert de Middleton, seizing castles and taking part in the capture of Bishop-elect

Lewis de Beaumont Lewis de Beaumont ( ; died 1333) was Bishop of Durham during the last half of the First War of Scottish Independence. Ancestry Lewis was born before 1270, son of Louis de Brienne and Agnès de Beaumont-au-Maine and grandson of John of Brienne, K ...

.A.J. Lilburn, 'The Family of Lilburn of West Lilburn', ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne,'' 4th Series, N. 9, pp. 398-415. **Sir John Lilburn of Belford, Easington and Shawdon (died 1400, grandson of the above John) was a knight and close ally to

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was M ...

and godfather to Sir John's son Thomas (b. 1387).''Archaeologia Aeliana'', 4th series, Vol. XI, p. 73. https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-3433-1/dissemination/AAseries4/AA411new/archael411-000-000-PDFs/archael411-021-082-parliament.pdf - accessed 14 November 2022. Sir John was twice taken prisoner following battles against the Scots: the first being a battle in

Carham Carham or Carham on Tweed is a village in Northumberland, England. The village lies on the south side of the River Tweed about west of Coldstream. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, it is the place in England with greatest proportion ...

(1370) leading an attack against Scottish invaders; the second at the

Battle of Otterburn The Battle of Otterburn, also known as the Battle of Chevy Chase, took place according to Scottish sources on 5 August 1388, or 19 August according to English sources, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scots and Eng ...

(1388) alongside Henry "Hotspur" Percy, eldest son of the same Henry Percy who was godfather to Sir John's son, Thomas. **Thomas Lilburne (born 1387, possibly son of the above John) was a representative for Northumberland in parliament under Henry VI in 1434. **John Lilburne (grandson of the above Sir John of Belford) was a Constable of

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman Conquest and renovated an ...

in the 15th Century. **Bartholomew Lilburne (died 1562, third great nephew of the above John, Constable of Alnwick) was present during the Anglo-French summit between

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and

Francois I Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&n ...

at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English Pale of Calais, it was a ...

in 1520, arrayed in a "numerous and valuable" body armour inherited as a Lilburn family heirloom by his son, John. ** John "Freeborn" Lilburne (1614-1657, great grandson of the above Bartholomew) was a political Leveller and a key figure in the

, along with members of his immediate family: John Freeborn Lilburne portrait

*** Elizabeth Lilburne (active 1641–1660), born Elizabeth Dewell, was a

Leveller The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

and the wife of John "Freeborn" Lilburne. ***

Robert Lilburne Robert Lilburne (1613–1665) is most notable as the elder brother of radical Leveller agitator John Lilburne. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when the English Parliament fought against King Charles I, he had a distinguished military car ...

(1613–1665, brother of John "Freeborn") was an English soldier, politician and signatory to the death warrant of King Charles I in 1649. *** George Lilburne (c.1585 – 1666, uncle of John "Freeborn" and the above Robert) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in 1654 and supported the parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.Sunderland Antiquarian Society Antiquarian News - March 2009
/ref> *** Thomas Lilburne (died 1665, 1st cousin of John "Freeborn") was an English politician and steward of the manor of Holm Cultram, having fought as an officer and major for the

parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

army during the English Civil War.

Prominent relatives

Distant relations worthy of note include: * William Lilburne (born 1636, 1st cousin of John "Freeborn"), a barrister of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and second great grandfather of third US President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

.Gregg, Pauline (1986). ''Free-born John. A Biography of John Lilburne'' (Paperback ed.). London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. p. 360. * and Isabel Lilburne, wife of John Lilburne (1st cousin of John "Freeborn" and brother of the above), a great niece of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

References