The ancestors of the Barnsleigh family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Worcestershire and Yorkshire, where they held an ancient seat and estates.
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Early Origins of the Barnsleigh family
The surname Barnsleigh 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 Barnsleigh family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnsleigh research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1550 is included under the topic Early Barnsleigh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Barnsleigh Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Barnsleigh were recorded, including Barnsley, Barnsely, Barnseley, Barnsly and others.
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Early Notables of the Barnsleigh family
More information is included under the topic Early Barnsleigh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Barnsleigh family
The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Barnsleigh arrived in North America very early: Richard Barnssley and his wife who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766.
England
