| ![Show Contents]() Bazley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The present generation of the Bazley family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Beesley, in the county of Lancashire. 1 The place name literally means 'woodland clearing' having derived from the Old English beos 'bent grass' + leah. 2 However, one source claims the family came from Baslow, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak in Derbyshire. 3 Early Origins of the Bazley familyThe surname Bazley was first found in Lancashire where Thomas de Besleg was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 1 While this is the generally accepted place of origin, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had no mention of the family there in later years, as these rolls listed Hugh filius Basilie, Nottinghamshire; Alan Basel, Cambridgeshire; Richard Baseli, Oxfordshire; John Basely, Cambridgeshire; and Michael Basely, Buckinghamshire. 3 Early History of the Bazley familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bazley research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1588, 1591, 1655 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Bazley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bazley Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bazley include Beazley, Beasley, Beasely, Beesely, Beesley, Bezley, Beasey and many more. Early Notables of the Bazley familyNotables of this surname at this time include: George Beesley or Bisley (d. 1591), English Catholic missioner, born at a place called the Mount, in Goosnargh parish, in Lancashire. "Ordained priest in 1587 he was sent upon the English mission in 1588. Falling into the hands of the persecutors he was so frequently tortured by the notorious Topcliffe...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bazley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Bazley family to Ireland
Some of the Bazley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Bazley migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bazley were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Bazley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Bazley, aged 50, who landed in America from Southampton, in 1897
Bazley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Nina Bazley, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1908
- Ralph Bazley, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920
- Catherine Bazley, aged 38, who settled in America, in 1921
- John Henry Bazley, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from St. Dennis, England, in 1923
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bazley (post 1700) | + |
- Robert Whitman Bazley (1925-2012), United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces (CINCPACAF), from 1984 to 1986
- Darius Denayr Bazley (b. 2000), American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Colin Frederick Bazley (b. 1935), English prelate, retired bishop in the Church of England, Bishop in Chile from 1969 until his retirement in 2000
- Richard Bazley (b. 1962), English film director from Devon, known for his work with Disney’s Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan and a Lead Animator and Sequence Director on celebrated Warner Bros. Film The Iron Giant
- James Jordan Bazley (b. 1995), Australian cricketer who made his List A debut for Cricket Australia XI on 5 October 2015 in the 2015–16 Matador BBQs One-Day Cup
- Sir Thomas Stafford Bazley (1907-1997), 3rd Baronet of Hatherop in the County of Gloucester
- Sir Thomas John Sebastian Bazley (b. 1948), 4th Baronet of Hatherop in the County of Gloucester
- Sir Thomas Sebastian Bazley (1829-1919), 2nd Baronet of Hatherop in the County of Gloucester, a justice of the peace, deputy lieutenant and High Sheriff for Gloucestershire
- Sir Thomas Bazley (1797-1885), 1st Baronet, British industrialist and Liberal politician from Gilnow, near Bolton, Lancashire; he acquired estates in Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire
- Dame Maragret Clare Bazley ONZ, DNZM (b. 1938), distinguished New Zealand public servant
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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Bazley migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
