Brailsford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Brailsford comes from when the family resided in Derbyshire, where they held a family seat in Brelsford. The place-name Brelsford was originally derived from the Old English broegelsford, which means manor on a hall near a fording place on a river. 1

Early Origins of the Brailsford family

The surname Brailsford was first found in Derbyshire at Brailsford, a parish, in the hundred of Appletree. "The manor, which in the reign of the Confessor had belonged to Earl Wallef, was one of those given by William the Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers, under whom it was held by Elsin, ancestor of the ancient family of Brailsford. From the Brailsfords the property passed by marriage to the Bassetts, and from them in the same way to the Shirleys: the manor now belongs to the Evans family." 2

Early rolls revealed some interesting early spellings. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Robert de Brailisford, Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Writs of Parliament listed Henry de Braylesford, 1301. 3

Early History of the Brailsford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brailsford research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1060, 1450, 1660 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Brailsford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brailsford 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 Brailsford include Braylsford, Braylford, Brayleford, Brailsford, Braylesford, Brawlford, Brawford, Brelisford, Brellisford and many more.

Early Notables of the Brailsford family

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

Brailsford 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:

Brailsford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Brailsford, who landed in South Carolina in 1733 4
Samuel Brailsford, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1794

Brailsford 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:

Brailsford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Emma Brailsford, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Brailsford (post 1700) +

John Brailsford the Younger (d. 1775), English divine, educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge 5
John Brailsford the Elder (1712-1739), English poetical writer, educated at St. John's College, Cambridge 5
Squadron Leader Simon Brailsford, English Royal Air Force officer, and Equerry to Her Majesty The Queen (1998-2001)
Pauline Brailsford (b. 1928), English former actress, best known for her role in A League of Their Own (1992)
Frank Colliss "Jim" Brailsford (b. 1933), English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire in 1958
Henry Noel "H.N." Brailsford (1873-1958), English socialist and author
Sir David John "Dave" Brailsford CBE (b. 1964), British cycling coach from Derbyshire, formerly performance director of British Cycling
James Frederick Brailsford MD, FRCP (1888-1961), British radiologist, co-discoverer of the Morquio (or Morquio-Brailsford) syndrome

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019