The name Barnseley was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Barnseley family lived in Worcestershire and Yorkshire, where they held an ancient seat and estates.
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Early Origins of the Barnseley family
The surname Barnseley was first found in Gloucestershire and South Yorkshire at Barnsley. Of the locales, the town in Yorkshire is by far the larger originating in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. This town dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Berneslai. However, the Gloucestershire parish which was originally part of historic Lancashire dates back further to 802 when it was listed as Bearmodeslea. It too was listed in the Domesday Book but had a different spelling of Bernesleis. Both locales were derived from the Old English personal name + "leah" and literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called Beornmod (Beorn)." 1 The family is conjecturally descended from a Norman noble Ilbert de Lacy who settled in the village of Barnsley in the West Riding of Yorkshire at the time of the Norman Conquest. Ilbert was Lord of the Manor of Barnsley.
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Early History of the Barnseley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnseley research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1550 is included under the topic Early Barnseley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Barnseley 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 Barnsley, Barnsely, Barnseley, Barnsly and others.
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Early Notables of the Barnseley family
More information is included under the topic Early Barnseley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Barnseley 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 Barnseley or a variant listed above: Richard Barnssley and his wife who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766.
England
