First of all i would like to thank you for taking a look at my web site, and 
hope you like it. If any of my Norris or the other names are the same as yours 
please let me know and then i can add them thank you.

The Norris Family of Speke
The Norris Family of Speke are thought to have Saxon origins dating well 
before the Norman Invasion of 1066. There are many variations in the spelling 
of the Norris family name, including Norrys, Norries, Noris, Norreys, Noreis, 
Noriss, Norrish, Norie, Norrie, Norse and Norice. The name is probably derived 
from the Old English/Scandinavian words "nord" (north) and "hus" (house), 
indicating that the original family probably lived in a house at the north end 
of the settlement. Historically speaking, the Norris family is first known at 
Speke, near Liverpool in 1314, when the region still lay within the county of 
Lancashire. 
It was William Norris II who began building the present day Speke Hall over 
450 years ago, with funds accrued as the spoils of war. William also began the 
long family tradition of standing as Member of Parliament for Liverpool. 
Isobel Norris was the first wife of Robert Charnock who rebuilt Astley Hall, 
and promoted the building of the first school in Chorley in 1611. 
Like many old Lancashire families, the Norrises were staunch Roman Catholics - 
until in 1651, that is, when Thomas Norris became the first head of the family 
to convert to Protestantism. Nevertheless he was regarded as a Royalist during 
the Civil Wars which resulted in the punitive confiscation of the Norris 
Estates by Parliament - these were not regained until 1662.
The Norrises held the Speke estates, on and off, until the mid-18th century, 
by which time it amounted to around 2,400 acres. In or around 1795 the family 
vacated the house and moved to live in a fashionable district of London, and 
the house gradually fell into disuse and ruin.
The 20th century saw the virtual obliteration of all traces of the Norris 
estate, though several restorations to Speke Hall itself were undertaken by 
later owners and residents during the 19th century. Standing as it does today 
at the edge of a modern industrial estate, bordering on the runway of 
Liverpool Airport, it is an unlikely setting for a fine restored Tudor house, 
now in the (hopefully) safe-keeping of the National Trust.