Peasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Peasley come from when the family resided in Beesley, in the county of Lancashire. 1 The place name literally means 'woodland clearing' having derived from the Old English beos 'bent grass' + leah. 2

However, one source claims the family came from Baslow, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak in Derbyshire. 3

Early Origins of the Peasley family

The surname Peasley was first found in Lancashire where Thomas de Besleg was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 1

While this is the generally accepted place of origin, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had no mention of the family there in later years, as these rolls listed Hugh filius Basilie, Nottinghamshire; Alan Basel, Cambridgeshire; Richard Baseli, Oxfordshire; John Basely, Cambridgeshire; and Michael Basely, Buckinghamshire. 3

Early History of the Peasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peasley research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1588, 1591, 1655 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Peasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peasley Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Peasley has been recorded under many different variations, including Beazley, Beasley, Beasely, Beesely, Beesley, Bezley, Beasey and many more.

Early Notables of the Peasley family

Notables of this surname at this time include: George Beesley or Bisley (d. 1591), English Catholic missioner, born at a place called the Mount, in Goosnargh parish, in Lancashire. "Ordained priest in 1587 he was sent upon the English mission in 1588. Falling into the hands of the persecutors he was so frequently tortured by the notorious Topcliffe...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peasley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peasley Ranking

In the United States, the name Peasley is the 13,960^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Peasley family to Ireland

Some of the Peasley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Peasley family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Peasley or a variant listed above: Bennet Beasley who settled in Virginia in 1755; John Beasley settled in New England in 1751; Richard Beasley settled in New England in 1753; Richard Beazley arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1848.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/