Blagrave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Blagrave dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived 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 Blagrave family

The surname Blagrave 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 Blagrave family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blagrave 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 Blagrave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blagrave Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Blagrave have been found, including Blagrove, Blagrave, Blackgrove, Blackgrave and others.

Early Notables of the Blagrave 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 co...
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 private life Bl...
Joseph Blagrave (1610-1682), was an English astrologer, born in the parish of St. Giles, Reading, and is thought to have been a nephew of John Blagrave, the mathematician, from whom he appears to have...

Blagrave migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Blagrave, or a variant listed above:

Blagrave Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Fra Blagrave, who landed in Virginia in 1663 6
John Blagrave, who landed in Virginia in 1665 6

Blagrave Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Benjamin Blagrave, who landed in Virginia in 1772 6

Blagrave Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Blagrave, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1844

Blagrave migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blagrave Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Blagrave, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Charles Blagrave, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Blagrave, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

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)
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)