Show ContentsBeales History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Beales surname is thought to have been created from one of the places so named (in Northumberland, and in West Yorkshire). The place name derives from the Old English "beo," meaning "bee" and "hyll," meaning "hill." There is also a Norman name Beales derived from the Old French "bel."

Early Origins of the Beales family

The surname Beales was first found in Northumberland. Today Beeley is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of northern Derbyshire, near Bakewell. In the Domesday Book, the place name was listed as Begelie 1

Also in Northumberland, Beal with Lowlin is a township, in the parish of Kyloe, union of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, in Islandshire. 2 Bealon-the-Hill, is a hamlet in north Durham, close to the sea. "In Testa de Nevill it is spelt Behil, and it is recorded there that Gilbert de Behil held it of the see of Durham." 3 4

Raine's History and Antiquities of North Durham notes Thomas de Behil there in 1382 and Laurence Beil in 1517.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 noted Willelmus Beall as holding lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Beales family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beales research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1541, 1601, 1608, 1621, 1632, 1651, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1674, 1683, 1684, 1697, 1699, 1813, 1816, 1820, 1840 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Beales History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beales Spelling Variations

The name, Beales, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Beal, Beale, Beall, Bealle, Beel, Beele, Beales, Bealer and many more.

Early Notables of the Beales family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Robert Beale (1541-1601), and English diplomatist and antiquary, said to have been descended from a family settled at Woodbridge in Suffolk. 5William Beale (died 1651), was an English Royalist churchman, Master in turn of Jesus College, Cambridge and St John's College, Cambridge; John Beale (c.1608-1683), an English clergyman, scientific writer, and early Fellow of the Royal Society; Sir John Beale (1621-1684)...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beales Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Beales migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Beales surname who came to North America were:

Beales Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Beales, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 6

Australia Beales migration to Australia +

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

Beales Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Beales, aged 25, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Star Queen" 7

New Zealand Beales 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:

Beales Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Beales, British settler referred to as the Parkhurst Boys travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843, he had been taught trades and pardoned to live in New Zealand 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Beales (post 1700) +

  • Theodore R. Beales, American politician, Mayor of Newark, New York, 1951-54
  • Cyrus William Beales (1877-1927), American Republican politician, Pharmacist; Director, Gettysburg National Bank; Director, Gettysburg Ice and Storage Co.; Postmaster at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1910-14; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 20th District, 1915-17;
  • Randolph Allen "Randy" Beales (b. 1960), American jurist, 41st Attorney General of Virginia (2001-2002), Judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals (2006-)
  • Cyrus William Beales (1877-1927), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1915-1917)
  • Barclay Beales, British musician, former member of the Stereo Kicks, an English-Irish group
  • Derek Edward Dawson Beales FBA (1931-2023), British historian who wrote a definitive work on the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
  • Flying Officer Walter Beales DCM (1893-1962), British flying ace credited with nine official victories during World War I, awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
  • Philip Beales, British professor at the University College London Institute of Child Health
  • Greg Beales (b. 1977), British Director of Strategy and Planning for the Labour Party
  • Peter Beales MBE (1936-2013), British rosarian, author and lecturer
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  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)
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. 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)
  7. South Australian Register Monday 1st January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Star Queen 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/starqueen1854.shtml
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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