Blackrove History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Blackrove family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Blagrave, a tithing in the parish of Lambourn, Berkshire. 1 2

The place name is derived from the Old English word Blaca-graf, which literally means the black or dark grove. 3

Early Origins of the Blackrove family

The surname Blackrove was first found in Berkshire, where "in the 13th century, Alicia de Blackgrave held Bockhampton; and lands in Blagrave were held from William Fitz-Humphry (le Breton) by Nicholas Fitz-Hugh, which Henry III. in 1247 confirmed to Poghele Priory, Berkshire. " 4

Another source confirms the above, but has more details. In this case, the entry was for Alice be Blacgrava in the year 1220 and the entry was found in the Feet of Fines. 5

Early History of the Blackrove family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackrove research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1591, 1603, 1610, 1611, 1630, 1640, 1660, 1662, 1668, 1670, 1682, 1688, 1704, 1705, 1811, 1817, 1821, 1823, 1824, 1830, 1833, 1834, 1837 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Blackrove History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackrove Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blackrove include Blagrove, Blagrave, Blackgrove, Blackgrave and others.

Early Notables of the Blackrove family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Daniel Blagrave (1603-1668) English politician and regicide, Member of Parliament for the Parliamentary Borough of Reading between 1640 and 1660. "During the trial of Charles I he attended the high court of justice, and was one of those who signed the king's death-warrant. " 6 Upon the Restoration, he fled the country and settled in what is now Germany where he died.John Blagrave (d. 1611), was an English mathematician, the son of John Blagrave of Bullmarsh, near Sunning, Berkshire. He was born at Reading, but the date of his birth is unknown. "In...
Another 443 words (32 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blackrove Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blackrove family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blackrove or a variant listed above: Ann Blackgrove who settled in Barbados in 1634 and later moved to the main land in St. Christopher; George Blackgrove, who settled in Virginia in 1654.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print