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Beadle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Beadle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Beadle was formed. The name was derived from the name of a medieval court official called a beadle. A beadle performed similar duties to those of a bailiff in a modern court of law, as well as acting as a sort of town crier, and later as a constable of the parish. 1

Early records of the name mention Brictamarus Bedel of the County of Suffolk who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2

Early Origins of the Beadle family

The surname Beadle was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire, at Bedale, a market-town, parish, and the head of a union, chiefly in the wapentake of Hang-East, but partly in that of Hallikeld. "The houses are in general of brick, and irregularly built; the air is pure, and the neighbourhood, which is well cultivated, affords many pleasant walks and much picturesque scenery. " 3

As an occupational name, the name can be found in a wide variety of spellings over much of ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Geoffrey le Bedel, Kent; Martin le Bedel, Norfolk; and Walter Bidellus, Lincolnshire. 4 The "le" meaning "the" denoted the occupational nature of the name and that last entry found there was in the Latin form.

Kirby's Quest noted John le Bedal, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

Historically it was "a well-known office. In [the] Domesday Book, we have, among the greater tenants. Godwin Bedellus, and "Beaellus quidam Regis," a certain beadle, apparitor, or messenger of the King. " 1

In Scotland, the variant Beedles was principally found. "An old Scots surname, perhaps the possessive of 'Beadle,' from the office. One of this name may have given origin to Biedlieston in parish of Dyce, Aberdeenshire." 6

Early History of the Beadle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beadle research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1327, 1578, 1613, 1632, 1650 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Beadle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beadle Spelling Variations

Until 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 Beadle include Beadell, Beadle, Beadles, Beedle, Beedell, Bedle and others.

Early Notables of the Beadle family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Beadle (died 1667), an English clergyman and diarist...

Beadle Ranking

In the United States, the name Beadle is the 9,059^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Beadle 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 Beadle were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Beadle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Gabriel Beadle, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1607 8
John Beadle, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1607 8
John and Gabriel Beadle, who settled in Virginia in 1608
Jon Beadle, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 8
Phillip Beadle, who landed in Virginia in 1653 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beadle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Beadle, who settled in Maryland in 1725

Beadle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Beadle, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 8
William, Beadle Jr., who landed in New York, NY in 1817 8
Stephen Beadle, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 8

Beadle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Arthur Beadle, (b. 1872), aged 32, Cornish labourer, from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Carpathia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th June 1904 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 9

Beadle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beadle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Beadle, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Robert Beadle, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Beadle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Chauncey Beadle, who landed in Canada in 1833

Beadle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Beadle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Beadle, (b. 1779), aged 35, English servant who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. James Beadle, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Daniel Beadle, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Miss Frances Beadle, English convict who was convicted in Maldon, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Miss Mary Ann Beadle who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 25th October 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14

Beadle migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15

Beadle Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Beadle who settled in Barbados in 1634

Contemporary Notables of the name Beadle (post 1700) +

William J. Beadle, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Alhambra, California, 1934-48 (acting, 1934-39)
William Henry Harrison Beadle (1838-1915), American Republican politician, Colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War; Lawyer; Member of Republican National Committee from Dakota Territory, 1872-; Member of Dakota territorial House of Representatives, 1877-79;
Tracy Beadle, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Chemung County, 1862
John Beadle, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Dutchess County, 1812-13, 1814-15, 1818-19
Harvey James Beadle (1915-1994), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 21st District, 1959-62; Defeated, 1954, 1956, 1962 ; Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 12th District, 1964
Francis D. Beadle (1899-1983), American Republican politician, Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I; Insurance and real estate business; Justice of the peace; Member of Michigan State Senate, 1951-68 (11th District 1951-54, 34th District 1955-64, 28th District 1965-68);
Erastus Flavel Beadle (1821-1894), American Republican politician, Publisher of dime novels; Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 21st District, 1892
Chester Charles Beadle, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 21st District, 1961
George Wells Beadle (1903-1989), American biologist, who shared a 1958 Nobel Prize
Alfred N Beadle V (1927-1998), American modernistic architect
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies