Baifield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Early Origins of the Baifield family

Early History of the Baifield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baifield research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1390, 1461, 1531 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Baifield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baifield Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Bayfield, Baifield, Bafield, Bayfeld and others.

Early Notables of the Baifield family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Bayfield (died 1531) an English Protestant martyr. After exile to the Low Countries, he then returned to England and was active in circulating the New Testament and other prohibited books, including the works of Luther, Zwingli and Melancthon. He was discovered, imprisoned...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baifield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baifield family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Baifield or a variant listed above: Geo Bayfeild, who settled in Virginia in 1670; Jean Jaque Bavill, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1752; and J. Bayfeld, who arrived in New York, NY in 1864..