Contents [hide]

Beare History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Beare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The origins of the Beare name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Beare was originally derived from a family having lived in Devon, where they took their name from one of the many places named Bear, Beare, Beara, etc., found in that county. The surname is likely to be derived from the Old English word bearu, which means grove. Several early instances of that name are in the form le beare, or the bear, from the Old English bera. 1

"A gentleman in Kent, some years since, rejoiced in the Christian and sur-(or rather un-Christian and sur-ly)names of Savage Bear (English Sum.) Although I do not recollect any other instance of this name in modern English, the nomenclature of many European countries, both personal and local, abounds with it in various forms." 2

Early Origins of the Beare family

The surname Beare was first found in Devon where there are two places on the banks of Tamar called Beer-Alston and Beer-Ferris. In Dorset, place names include Beer-Hacket and Beer-Regis. 2 The earliest reference of the name was in Devon where it was listed as Bera in the Domesday Book 3

"Two places on the banks of the Tamar, in co. Devon, are called Beer-Alston and Beer-Ferris, while two others in Dorsetshire bear the names of Beer-Hacket and Beer-Regis." 2

In nearby Cornwall, another early listing of the family was found in the parish of St. Ervan. "Treravel, an ancient gentleman's seat, belonged in the days of Hals to George Bere or Beare, gentleman, who married Lanyon. This is now a farm house, the property of John Hicks, Esq." 4 The barton of Brynn, in the parish of Withiel, Cornwall was formerly a seat of the family of Beare, from whom it passed some time ago.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic appreciation of the names. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Robert le Ber, Kent; Adam le Bere, Cambridgeshire; Clement le Bere, Oxfordshire; Walter le Bere, Oxfordshire; Lucy de la Bere, Devon; Elyas dela Byare, Devon; John de la Byare, Devon; and Reginald de Bere, Devon. 5

In Somerset, John de Bere and Robert atte Bere were listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

Early History of the Beare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beare research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1354, 1355, 1493, 1524, 1534, 1614, 1634, 1680, 1684, 1713 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Beare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beare Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Beare include Beare, Bear, Beer, Bere, Beares, Bears, Beers and many more.

Early Notables of the Beare family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard de la Bere, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1354 and 1355.Richard Bere (d. 1524), was Abbot of Glastonbury and was installed in 1493 as the election of Thomas Wasyn having been quashed by the Bishop of Bath and Wells. "He was a great builder. Leland tells us that...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beare migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Beare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Walter and Ann Beare, who settled in Virginia in 1620
WaIter Beare, who landed in Virginia in 1620 7
Walter Beare,(b. 1592), aged 28 who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 7
William Beare, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 7
James Beare, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Beare, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1818

Beare migration to Australia +

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

Beare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Hudson Beare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Duke of York" in 1836 8
Lucy Anne Beare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Duke of York" in 1836 8
Elizabeth Beare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Duke of York" in 1836 8
Gertrude Beare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Duke of York" in 1836 8
Arabella Beare, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Duke of York" in 1836 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beare Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Mr. Stephen John Beare, (b. 1886), aged 20, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Ophir" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 14th August 1906 9

Beare 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:

Beare Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Anne Beare, (b.1871), aged 3, Cornish settler departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 10
Miss Eliza Beare, (b.1870), aged 4, Cornish settler departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 10
Mr. Henry Beare, (b.1866), aged 8, Cornish settler departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 10
Mr. John Beare, (b.1872), aged 2, Cornish settler departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 10
Mrs. Martha Beare, (b.1842), aged 32, Cornish settler departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beare migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Beare Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Beare, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Richard Beare, aged 28, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 7
Mr. Richard Beare, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 12
Joane Beare, who settled in Barbados in 1660
Humphrey Beare, who settled in Jamaica in 1661

Contemporary Notables of the name Beare (post 1700) +

Gary Beare (b. 1952), American baseball player
Samuel Taylor Beare (1901-1971), American politician, Member of Tennessee State House of Representatives, 1935-37 13

Historic Events for the Beare family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Stanley Lawrence Beare, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 14

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. John Beare (b. 1857), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 15

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Duke of York 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836DukeOfYork.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm