Birtwhisle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Birtwhisle is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Birtwhisle family once lived in Birtwisle, near Padiham, in the county of Lancashire. 1 The town was named for the Old English words bird or brid, meaning young bird or nestling, and twissel, which referred to a fork in a stream. 2

Early Origins of the Birtwhisle family

The surname Birtwhisle was first found in Lancashire, where one of the first records of the family was John de Briddeslwysill who was listed there in the Assize Rolls of 1285. 1 Unconfirmed records show Ralph de Bridtwisell, born about 1160, lived in the now-vanished hamlet of that name, near Hapton.

In 1316 William de Birtwisle obtained land in Huncoat, Lancashire from John de Huncoat in exchange for Bradley in Hapton, and in 1330 William gave his son Richard all his lands in Huncoat and Hapton. Later, Ellis de Birtwisle, was rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire from 1368 to 1370. 3 Huncoat (Huncote) Hall would remain in the family for over 450 years.

In Yorkshire, the first record found was that of Adam de Briddestwyssle who was listed in Kirkstall in 1329. 1

Scanning the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, we found the following people as all holding lands there at that time: Henrichs Birktwysell; Johannes de Brytwesle; and Ricardus de Brytwesele. 4

Early History of the Birtwhisle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birtwhisle research. Another 333 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1329, 1379, 1384, 1386, 1387, 1394, 1397, 1406, 1460, 1509, 1510, 1524, 1527, 1531, 1540, 1543, 1545, 1560, 1577, 1594, 1597, 1600, 1614, 1617, 1618, 1619, 1626, 1665, 1666, 1729 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Birtwhisle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birtwhisle Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Birtwhisle family name include Birdwhistle, Bertwhistle, Berdwhistle, Birtwisill, Birtwhistle, Birtwisle, Birdwistle, Birdwisle, Birdwistle, Brittwissill, Birktwysell, Brytwesle, Brytwesele, Birtwistell, Birtwessel, Briddestwysill, Briddestwyssle, Burtwisle and many more.

Early Notables of the Birtwhisle family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Birtwhisle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Birtwhisle family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Birtwhisle surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Birdwistle, who sailed to Maryland in 1670.

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)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)