Who we were: Purvis history can be traced back to 1066 AD. During the Battle of Hastings, the Purvis family helped William the Conqueror (Duke William of Normandy) invade England. Because of our military contribution, William the Conqueror awarded us lands in Suffolk, just north across the English Channel from Normandy in 1066 AD. The Purvis name then shows up at Purveshaugh, our own little territory in Scotland – we were indeed land barons.

Some people aren’t sure whether we are Scottish or English. Probably because our history begins in England but we probably weren’t called Purvises until we got to Scotland.

How we got our name: The English court awarded a right called ‘Prise’, which was a customary purchase of food for the poor. Prise developed into ‘purveyance’ as the feudal right of royalty to buy whatever they desired, at an appraised (rather than market) value, often on credit, to sustain their journeys or wars. Beginning in Scotland during the 11^th century, and developing in Britain over the 13^th and 14^th centuries, purveyance is what the Sherriff of Nottingham did, ripping off the poor to support the was of King Richard. Purveyance was foundational to feudalism, became extremely corrupt, and was abolished in 1660 when ‘commonwealth’ became the new social ideology.

Like most names, the name ‘Purvis’ began as a description of the person who did that job. For example, ‘Witti Purueis carta de Mospennoc', or William Purveys of Mospennoc was a Purveyor for Alexander III (1249-1286) of Scotland. He must have been in a long succession of purveyors because our profession began a hundred years earlier, but he is recorded in history because he granted the monks of Melrose an access road through his lands to theirs in 1214. A couple years later he granted lands to the Melrose Abby.

The Purvis name shows up in court proceedings, political alignments, and land deals for another four centuries.

Back in our English origins, William the Conqueror had made us ‘Landed Gentry’, like Robin of Loxley, land barons, upper class folks of Scotland and England. We were knighted, lived in manors, and didn’t do physical work or business - both were dirty words in those days. We were above peasantry but below living in castles. Castles were much more dank and drafty than manors anyway.

Three years after the abolishment of purveyance we began to show up in American historical records, maybe because were now unemployed, or maybe because we just had a passion for new lands.

Who we are: I guess we could lay claim to a great history but there are stories of bad Purvises as well as good, so it turns out to be a personal choice rather than a result of our genealogy.

Purveshaugh, Scotland, about 45 miles straight north of Carlisle.