| ![Show Contents]() Berisford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The present generation of the Berisford family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Beresford, in Staffordshire. The name is derived from the word beris, which means bear. Early Origins of the Berisford familyThe surname Berisford was first found in Staffordshire, where the family held "a manor and township in Alstonfield, possessed by the ancestors of the several noble families of this surname for centuries." 1 It is generally thought that John de Beresford, Lord of Beresford held a manor "in the best part of the Moorlands" in 1087. "The manor [of Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire] belonged to a branch of the Beresfords of Staffordshire, who settled at this place in the reign of Henry VI. The elder branch of the Beresfords of Bentley, soon became extinct in the male line, and the manor came, by marriage with their heiress, to the Beresfords of Staffordshire, from whom it passed into various hands." 2 "Beresford Hall, an ancient mansion now partly in ruins, stands on the west bank of the Dove, about two miles above Alstonfield. The Beresford Hall estate gives the title of Viscount to William Carr Beresford, general in the army, and Duke of Elvas, in Portugal, whose family has possessed this manor from the time of the Conquest." 2 Years later, Adam de Beresford was listed in the Subsidy Rolls in Staffordshire in 1327. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Beresford in Cambridgeshire. 4 Iselhempstead Latimer in Buckinghamshire was another ancient family seat. "This place, with the surrounding estate, belonged in the reign of Edward III. to Simon Beresford." 2 Ralph de Bereford (fl. 1329), was an English judge and "was of a legal family possessing large estates in the midland counties. He may have been a son of Osbert de Barford, or Bereford, chief gentleman to Ranulf of Hengham, justice of the common pleas, who was probably son of Walter de Barford of Langley in Warwickshire, and brother of Sir William de Bereford (d. 1326), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1309. " 5 Early History of the Berisford familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berisford research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1669, 1673, 1681, 1694, 1701, 1746, 1763, 1768, 1773, 1854, 1862 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Berisford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Berisford Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Berisford include Beresford, Berresford, Berrisford, Berisford, Bereford and many more. Early Notables of the Berisford familyNotables of this surname at this time include: - Humphrey Berisford (died ca...
 Migration of the Berisford family to Ireland
Some of the Berisford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 119 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Berisford migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Berisford were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Berisford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Berisford, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1894 aboard the ship "Etruria" from Liverpool, England 6
Berisford Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- William M Berisford, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, Ireland 6
- A. C. Berisford, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1922 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 6
| Berisford 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. 7Berisford Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century- Samuel Berisford, who arrived in Barbados in 1711 8
| Contemporary Notables of the name Berisford (post 1700) | + |
- Samuel and William Berisford, English co-founders of S&W Berisford in 1851 which evolved to Enodis plc, the British multinational foodmaking equipment manufacturing company headquartered in London
- Dr Norman A.J. Berisford, British architect, university lecturer, artist, author, poet and philanthropist
- Mr. Lyril Berisford Rawlins M.B.E. (b. 1954), British Disability Employment Advisor and Coach for Selly Oak Jobcentre Plus, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to the Department for Work and Pensions and to the community in the West Midlands 9
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: Nil nisi cruce
Motto Translation: Nothing unless by the cross.
- 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.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- 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)
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
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Berisford migration to the United States 
Berisford migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
