Cubberley Family Website
The History Behind The Name
The name Cubberley and its variants (Cubberly, Cooberley, Coubberley, Cobberley, etc) has been in use as a surname since the 13th and 14th centuries and probably derives from the village of Cubberley in Gloucestershire. Unfortunately the village, since about 1935, has changed its name to Coberley. However, there still remains a small private estate at Ross on Wye that goes under the name of Cubberley.
The surname would have been given to someone who lived, or possibly even owned, the manor of Cubberley. Early records show a Geoffrey de Cubberley living at Cubberley Hall in 1270 and a Ralph de Cubberley owning land in Throckmorton, Worcestershire in the 14th Century. It is possible that these early ancestors were related to the Berkleys, a Norman family who were given the Manor of Cubberley by William the Conqueror.
Records between 1550 and 1680 show a number of Cubberleys living in Ross on Wye, Hereford, Chichester, Upton on Severn and Birlingham - a small village in Worcestershire, quite close to Throckmorton. After about 1680 the family seems to have split into two distinct groups - one group emigrating to America and the other remaining in the area around Birlingham.
The Birlingham Cubberleys stayed in Worcestershire for another 100 years before spreading their wings and moving out to some of the major new industrial centers such as London, Swindon and Birmingham.
Today there are probably less than 1200 Cubberleys living in the United Kingdom, most of whom stem from the Birlingham Cubberleys. In America there are probably around 800 family members.