Bosler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Bosler family name to the British Isles. They lived at Bosley in Cheshire, where they were established since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Bosler family

The surname Bosler was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Bosley. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book the small village of Bosley was held by Hugh FitzNorman, Lord of Lea (Leigh,) otherwise known as Hugh de la Mare, held Bosley as an undertenant from Earl Hugh Lupus the great Earl of Chester. Conjecturally, the Bosleys are descended from this Hugh FitzNorman who adopted the name Baron Hugh of Bosley. Bosley is now the site of a reservoir. Since he is recorded in a Breton charter in 1070, Hugh may have been a Breton Baron by marriage, but his main stem family came from Lamare at St.Opportune, in Normandy where the family castle was built on piles by the side of the lake.

Early History of the Bosler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bosler research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bosler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bosler Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Bosley, Boasley, Bozley, Boazley, Bosely, Bozely, Bosleigh, Boslea, Bozleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Bosler family

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

Bosler migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bosler or a variant listed above:

Bosler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Phillipp Bosler, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1791 2

Bosler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Enis Bosler, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 2
Maria CH Bosler, aged 17, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Christian Bosler, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1853 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Bosler (post 1700) +

Merritt W. Bosler, American politician, Burgess of Norristown, Pennsylvania, 1960 3
Joseph Bosler, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1884 (alternate), 1888, 1900; Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1904 3
Herbert J. Bosler, American politician, Mayor of Jonesboro, Arkansas, 1922-27, 1930-47, 1950-53; Defeated, 1927, 1947, 1953 3
Irmela Bosler, contemporary is a German Western concert flautist
John Morgan Bosler (b. 1933), Australian rugby union player who played for the Wallabies in 1953

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html