Contents [hide]

Beasley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Beasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Beasley is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once 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 Beasley family

The surname Beasley 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 Beasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beasley research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1588, 1591, 1655 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Beasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beasley Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Beasley has been recorded under many different variations, including Beazley, Beasley, Beasely, Beesely, Beesley, Bezley, Beasey and many more.

Early Notables of the Beasley family

Notables 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 Beasley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beasley Ranking

In the United States, the name Beasley is the 572^nd most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Beasley is ranked the 926^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,256 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Beasley family to Ireland

Some of the Beasley 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.

Beasley migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Beasley or a variant listed above:

Beasley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Beasley, who landed in America in 1724 6
John Beasley, who settled in New England in 1751
Richard Beasley, who settled in New England in 1753
Bennet Beasley, who landed in Virginia in 1755 6

Beasley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac Beasley, who landed in New York in 1830 6
William Beasley, who landed in Texas in 1835 6
Berry Beasley, who arrived in Texas in 1835 6
George Beasley, who landed in America in 1841 6
Moses Beasley, aged 55, who arrived in New York in 1854 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beasley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beasley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Richard Beasley U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 7
Mr. Richard George Beasley U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 7

Beasley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Beasley was a teacher of Spoon Cove, Newfoundland in 1857 8

Beasley migration to Australia +

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

Beasley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Beasley, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
John Beasley, English convict from Leicester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. William Beasley, English convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 11
Mr. John Beasley who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Samuel Beasley, English convict who was convicted in Coventry, England for life, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beasley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Beasley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Beasley, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Patriot
Henry F. Beasley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 13
Mr. Henry F. Beasley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 14
Miss Eliza J. Beasley, (b. 1850), aged 17, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 14
Mr. James Beasley, (b. 1852), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Beasley (post 1700) +

Terry Paul Beasley (1950-2024), American professional football player
John Beasley (1943-2023), American actor, best known for his roles in the films Rudy (1993), The General's Daughter (1999), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Walking Tall (2004), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), Sinister 2 (2015)
David Muldrow Beasley (b. 1957), American politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina (1995-1999), Executive Director of the World Food Programme (2017-)
Bruce Beasley (b. 1939), American abstract expressionist sculptor
Allyce Beasley (b. 1954), American actress
Aaron Bruce Beasley (b. 1973), former American college and professional NFL football player
Major-General Rex Webb Beasley (1892-1961), American Commanding Officer Artillery, 81st Division (1942-1945) 15
Jamar Beasley (b. 1979), American soccer player
Frederick Jerome Beasley (b. 1974), American NFL football player
Mrs. C. W. Beasley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1940, 1956 (alternate), 1964 (alternate) 16
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Beasley family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Dennis Beasley, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17

Citations +

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Rex Beasley. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Beasley/Rex_Webb/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html