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Teesdale History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Teesdale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Teesdale name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Teesdale was originally derived from a family having lived in the area known as Teesdale found in the counties of Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire. Teesdale is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Teesdale were named due to their close proximity to the river Tees, which flowed between Yorkshire and Durham.

Early Origins of the Teesdale family

The surname Teesdale was first found in Durham where Walter de Tesedale was listed 1235-1236. A few years later, Mariota de Tesdale was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumberland (Cumbria) in 1332 and later again, Thomas Tesdall was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1525. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included William tie Tesedal, Yorkshire. Henry de Tesdale was Prior of Finchale in 1295. The source History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham included Hugh de Tesedale, 1350 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes de Tesedale. 2

Early History of the Teesdale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teesdale research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1556, 1563, 1570, 1579, 1581, 1610, 1613, 1646, 1669, 1706, 1711 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Teesdale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teesdale 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 Teesdale include Teasdale, Tisdale, Tisdell, Teesdale, Tisdall and others.

Early Notables of the Teesdale family

Notables of the family at this time include William Tisdale or Tisdall (born circa 1570), an English musician and composer.Thomas Tesdale, Teasdale or Tisdale (1547-1610), was an English 'co-founder of Pembroke College, Oxford,' born at Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, son of Thomas Tesdale (d. 1556), by his second wife, Joan (Knapp.) "He was brought up by his uncle, Richard Tesdale, a sadler of Abingdon, and was in 1563 the first...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Teesdale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Teesdale family to Ireland

Some of the Teesdale family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teesdale 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:

Teesdale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Teesdale, who arrived in New York in 1798 3

Teesdale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Teesdale, who settled in Philadelphia in 1823
Edward Teesdale, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1893

Teesdale Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Elizabeth J. Teesdale, aged 65, who landed in America from Deeking, England, in 1911
Edward F. Teesdale, aged 48, who settled in America from Ilford, England, in 1920
Herbert Teesdale, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States, in 1921
Alan Teesdale, aged 60, who immigrated to America, in 1923
Allan Teesdale, aged 60, who landed in America, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Teesdale migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Teesdale Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Christopher Teesdale, aged 1, who settled in Ontario, Canada, in 1912

Teesdale 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:

Teesdale Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred Teesdale, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Teesdale (post 1700) +

John Teesdale, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Des Moines, Iowa, 1861-67
Edmund Brinsley Teesdale MC (1915-1997), Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong (1963 to 1965)
Major-General Sir Christopher Charles Teesdale VC, KCMG, CB (1833-1893), British major-general, royal artillery, son of Lieutenant-general Henry George Teesdale of South Bersted, Sussex, the first South African-born recipient of the Victoria Cross

Citations +

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)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html