Beasay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Beasay

What does the name Beasay mean?

The lineage of the name Beasay begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Beesley, in the county of Lancashire. 1 The place name literally means 'woodland clearing' having derived from the Old English beos 'bent grass' + leah. 2

However, one source claims the family came from Baslow, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak in Derbyshire. 3

Early Origins of the Beasay family

The surname Beasay was first found in Lancashire where Thomas de Besleg was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 1

While this is the generally accepted place of origin, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had no mention of the family there in later years, as these rolls listed Hugh filius Basilie, Nottinghamshire; Alan Basel, Cambridgeshire; Richard Baseli, Oxfordshire; John Basely, Cambridgeshire; and Michael Basely, Buckinghamshire. 3

Early History of the Beasay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beasay research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1588, 1591, 1655 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Beasay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beasay Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Beasay has undergone many spelling variations, including Beazley, Beasley, Beasely, Beesely, Beesley, Bezley, Beasey and many more.

Early Notables of the Beasay family

George Beesley or Bisley (d. 1591), English Catholic missioner, born at a place called the Mount, in Goosnargh parish, in Lancashire. "Ordained priest in 1587 he was sent upon the English mission in 1588. Falling into the hands of the persecutors he was so frequently tortured by the notorious Topcliffe that he was reduced to a mere skeleton...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beasay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beasay family to Ireland

Some of the Beasay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beasay family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Beasay were among those contributors: Bennet Beasley who settled in Virginia in 1755; John Beasley settled in New England in 1751; Richard Beasley settled in New England in 1753; Richard Beazley arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1848.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)