Show ContentsBeardsly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Beardsly is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the village named Bardsley in Lancashire. The village itself traces its name back to the Old English words Beornred's leah, which mean Beornred's wood or Beornred's clearing. The personal name Beornred means warrior counsel.

Early Origins of the Beardsly family

The surname Beardsly was first found in Greater Manchester at Bardsley where the earliest record of the place name was Berdesley in 1422. 1 Bardsey is a small village in the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire and dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Berdesei. 2 "Bardsley House, overlooking the glen of the Medlock, is the seat of John Jonah Harrop, Esq. Many generations of the Bardsley family held the estate, under the lords of Ashton, by the feudal payment of a rose and one penny, annually: the property subsequently came, by marriage, to the Tetlows." 3

Early History of the Beardsly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beardsly research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1640 is included under the topic Early Beardsly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beardsly Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Beardsly has been spelled many different ways, including Bardsley, Bardsey, Bardsea, Bardsly, Bardesey and many more.

Early Notables of the Beardsly family

More information is included under the topic Early Beardsly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Beardsly migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Beardslys to arrive in North America:

Beardsly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Hen Beardsly, who landed in Virginia in 1665 4
  • Alexander Beardsly, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 4


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. 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)


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