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Bushell History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Bushell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bushell

What does the name Bushell mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Bushell come from when the family resided in Yorkshire, in the parish of Bossall. While the surname is largely considered local, there are other possible origins of this name. It may be of patronymic origin, based on the first name of the father and would have derived as "the son of Bussell." 1

The name may also be of occupational origin and in this latter case it was originally derived from the Old English word busshel and would probably have been used to describe one who made bushel-baskets. 2

Early Origins of the Bushell family

The surname Bushell was first found in the North Riding or Yorkshire as Bossall, a parish, partly in the wapentake of Birdforth, but chiefly in that of Bulmer. 3 The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Bosciale 4 and probably meant "nook of land of a man called Bot or Botsige," from the Old English personal name + "halh." 5

The parish of Hutton-Buscel (also in the North Riding of Yorkshire) is of particular significance to the family. "This parish derives its name from having been anciently the 'High town of the Buscel or Bushel family.' " 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls include: Margareta Bosell; Johannes Bussell; Laurencius Bossell; and Johanna Bossell as all holding lands there at that time. 1

Over in Leyland, Lancashire, another branch of the family was found in ancient times. "Warin Bussel, one of the barons under Roger de Poictou, in the reign of William I., held, among his ample demesnes, the parish of Leyland: at a very early period." 3

Another early record was found in Birkdale, Lancashire. The manor of Birkdale was originally held by Wibert in 1066. Warin Bussel (presumably the same as the aforementioned) held a portion of Penwortham before 1100. However, there mention of Bussel handing the property down to his heirs as the manor was passed to the Halsall family. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Geoffrey Buscel, Norfolk; Reginald Buscel, Norfolk; William Bushel, Huntingdonshire; and John Bussel, Cambridgeshire 1

Newton Bushell, Devon was held by "the Bushells, its possessors in the latter half of the thirteenth century. Teignweek was given in 1246 to Theobald de Englishville, and by him to his foster-child and kinsman, Robert Bushell. The Bushells continued until Richard II., when their heiress brought it to the Yardes. " 7

In Somerset, "Bushell is a name now scantily represented in the county. Two hundred years ago there was a Bath family of this name, members of which, on various occasions, filled the office of mayor (Warner's "Bath"). The name is still in that city." 8

Early History of the Bushell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bushell research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1140, 1200, 1594, 1609, 1621, 1643, 1651, 1667, 1670, 1674, 1684 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Bushell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bushell Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bushell has been recorded under many different variations, including Bushell, Bussel, Bushle, Bushel, Bussell, Buchell, Buchel, Boushell, Boushel, Bousel and many more.

Early Notables of the Bushell family

Distinguished members of the family include

Thomas Bushell (1594-1674), English speculator and farmer of the Royal mines, born about 1594, and was a younger son of a family of that name living at Cleve Prior in Worcestershire. "At the age of fi...
Browne Bushell (1609-1651), was an English Civil War-era naval officer who initially sided with the Roundheads, but in 1643 he switched to the Royalist side and later executed for piracy in March 1651
Seth Bushell (1621-1684), was an English divine, the only son of Adam Bushell, of Kuerden, near Preston. 9

Bushell migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bushell or a variant listed above:

Bushell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Bushell, who landed in Virginia in 1620-1621 10
Henry Bushell, who settled in Virginia in 1621 with his wife Alice
Nicholas Bushell, who landed in Virginia in 1622 10
Ruth Bushell, aged 23, British settler who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 10
Nicholas Bushell, who settled in Virginia in 1635
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bushell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Bushell, who landed in Virginia in 1703 10
Jon Bushell, who landed in Virginia in 1703 10
Samuell Bushell, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 10
Elizabeth Bushell, who arrived in Carolina in 1724 10

Bushell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Bushell, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1803 10
Cath Bushell, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1854 10
Jones Bushell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 10

Bushell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bushell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Bushell, (b. 1802), aged 29, English convict who was convicted in Dover, Kent, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William Bushell, (b. 1812), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Dover, Kent, England for 7 years for breaking and entering, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1831 11
Mr. Richard Bushell, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
John Bushell, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 13
Henry Bushell, aged 33, a boat builder, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Africaine" in 1836 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bushell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bushell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sgt. Bushell, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 13th February 1857 15
Thomas Bushell, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 16
Eliza S. Bushell, aged 26, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 16
Thomas H. Bushell, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 16
George Edward Bushell, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bushell (post 1700) +

Jeffrey "Jeff" Bushell, American screenwriter
Agnes Bushell (b. 1949), American fiction writer and teacher
Garvin Bushell (1902-1991), American woodwind player
William G. Bushell, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 5th District, 1922 17
John F. Bushell, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Oakland, California, 1962-72 17
Warin Foster Bushell FRAS (1885-1974), English schoolmaster and educationalist
Stephen Wootton Bushell CMG MD (1844-1908), English physician and amateur Orientalist who helped decipher the Tangut script
Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell RAF (1910-1944), English Auxiliary Air Force pilot who organised and led an escape from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III, basis of the film The Great Escape; he was executed, on e of the Stalag Luft III murders
Michael David Bushell MBE (b. 1990), English two-time gold and three-time silver medalist Paralympic athlete
Anthony Arnatt Bushell (1904-1997), English film actor and director, who appeared in 56 films between 1929 and 1961
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Bushell Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AFRICAINE 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Africaine.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html