Bilston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Bilston is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in one of several places called Bilton in the counties of Northumberland, Warwickshire, Essex, or Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Bilston family

The surname Bilston was first found in Yorkshire at Bilton, a chapelry, in the parish of Swine, union of Skirlaugh, Middle division of the wapentake of Holderness. "This place, called in Domesday Book Biletone, at an early period gave name to a family resident here." 1 As previous mentioned, there are numerous places name Bilton and part of the reason is that the place name literally means "farmstead of a man called Bill or Billa." 2 Bilston(e) is similarly popular with places in Staffordshire and Leicestershire.

Early History of the Bilston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilston research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1650 is included under the topic Early Bilston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilston Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Bilston has been spelled many different ways, including Bilton, Biltoune, Bilston, Bilson, Bilsden and many more.

Early Notables of the Bilston family

More information is included under the topic Early Bilston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilston migration to Australia +

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

Bilston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Bilston, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
Joseph Bilston, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831