Bilcliffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The present generation of the Bilcliffe 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 the village of Bilcliff, in the West Riding of the county of Yorkshire. The name of that place is derived from the Old English word bil, which originally referred to a sword or halberd.

Early Origins of the Bilcliffe family

The surname Bilcliffe was first found in Yorkshire, where one of the first records of the name was Thomas de Billeclyf who was listed there in 1308. Later, John Bilclif was listed in Yorkshire in 1617. 1

A very learned family, the Register of the University of Oxford has two early listings: Thomas Bilclif,1581; and Thomas Bilcliffe, Berkshire, 1615. 2

Early History of the Bilcliffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilcliffe research. Another 236 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1308, 1500, 1615, 1617, 1661, 1663, 1668, 1788 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Bilcliffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilcliffe 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 Bilcliffe include Billcliffe, Bilcliffe, Billcliff, Bilcliff, Billeclyf, Bilclif and many more.

Early Notables of the Bilcliffe family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Joseph Bilcliffe was a London bookseller located at the Great Piazza, Covent Garden, 1661-16633...

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

Bilcliffe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Bilcliffe, who landed in Virginia in 1637 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Plomer, Henry Robert A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667. London: 1910. Digital scan
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)