Barchlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Barchlett is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Barchlett is a name that comes from the personal name Bartholomew, and in its altered form is a baptismal name meaning Bartholomew. As the naming tradition grew in Europe baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honor of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.

Early Origins of the Barchlett family

The surname Barchlett was first found in Sussex, where "the head of this family, according to Dallaway, may be considered one of the most ancient proprietors of land residing upon this estate in this county. The first in the pedigree is Adam de Bartelott, said to be of Norman origin, father of John, who married Joan Stopham, coheiress of lands in the manor from whence the name is derived." 1

Another reference claim "the Barttelots of Stopham have a tradition that they came into England at the Conquest, and settled at a place called La Ford, in that parish, in which they still reside." 2

In Norfolk, Godricus Bertelot was recorded c. 1157 and later the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex recorded Walter Bertelot in 1296. Thomas Bartelot was listed in the Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire in 1294 and in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. 3

The church of Stopham contains a long series of the family's monuments. "The church is partly in the early and partly in the decorated English style, with a square tower; the pavement is almost entirely composed of large slabs of Sussex marble, inlaid with brass figures and memorials of the Barttelot family, and in the windows are representations of some of the Barttelots and Stophams in stained glass, said to have been removed from the ball windows of the old manor-house." 4

"The variants were numerous. It is quite evident that Bartlet or Bartlot was the popular nick, for this then favourite Apostolic name." For this reason, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 attempts to show the various spellings: Bartelot (without surname), Bedfordshire; Thomas Bartholot, Cambridgeshire; William Bartolot, Oxfordshire; Bartelot Govi, Huntingdonshire; Alan Bartelet, Cambridgeshire; and Richard Bartelot, Oxfordshire. 5

To the north in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Thomas Bartlot; and Robertus Bartlot. 5

Early History of the Barchlett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barchlett research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1069, 1471, 1501, 1557, 1566, 1662, 1682 and 1944 are included under the topic Early Barchlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barchlett Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Bartlett, Bartlet, Bartlette, Bartolet, Bartelot and many more.

Early Notables of the Barchlett family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Barthlet or Bartlett (fl. 1566), an English theological writer. John Bartlet (fl. 1662), was an English nonconformist divine, educated at the University of Cambridge and William Bartlet (died 1682), was an English independent minister, educated at New Inn Hall, Oxford. 6Richard Bartlot (1471-1557), was an English physician, Fellow of All Souls' College, and took the degree...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barchlett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Barchlett family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Barchlett or a variant listed above were: Thomas Bartlett who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts from Sussex, England in 1634; John Bartlett settled in Newbury, Massachusetts from Kent, England in 1635.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print