Breadon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The prominent surname Breadon claims its ancestry as an ancient Celtic name derived from "brez" (meaning hill) and the Old English word "dun" which combined roughly translates as "hill called Bre" [1]

Early Origins of the Breadon family

The surname Breadon was first found in Worcestershire at Bredon, a parish in the union of Tewkesbury, part of the hundred of Oswaldslow. It is generally understood that Bredon was given by Ethelbald, King of Mercia, before the year 716, to his kinsman, Eanulph, who founded a monastery there in honor of St. Peter. The first listed spelling of the place name was found in 772 when it was listed as Breodun. [1] The Domesday Book lists it as part of the Church of St. Mary and had two entries: Bredon (Breodun) and Bredon's Norton. The former comprised land enough for twenty-three ploughs. Bredon's Norton was considerably smaller with room enough for one plough, about 6 acres. [2] While the Domesday Book does not list the number of acres for Bredon, a latter reference lists the parish as comprising by computation between 5000 and 6000 acres, of which 963 are in the hamlet of Bredon. Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire.

Early History of the Breadon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breadon research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1204, 1207, 1272, 1273, 1300, 1372, 1379, 1638 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Breadon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breadon 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 Breadon include Bredon, Breedon, Breedin, Bredin and others.

Early Notables of the Breadon family

Distinguished members of the family include Reverend John Symonds who on inheriting the estate of the Bredon senior line changed his name to Bredon, thereby continuing the line. Simon Bredon (c.1300-1372) was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, arithmetician, geometrician, and medic. He was a member of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Breadon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Breadon family to Ireland

Some of the Breadon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breadon migration to the United States +

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 Breadon or a variant listed above:

Breadon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Breadon, aged 40, who landed in Ohio in 1812 [3]
Samuel H. Breadon, aged 19, who settled in America, in 1894
Eliza Breadon, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896

Breadon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James Breadon, aged 21, who settled in America from Fivemiletown, Ireland, in 1911
Jane Breadon, aged 65, who landed in America, in 1912

Breadon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Breadon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Mary Breadon, aged 13 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Gilmour" departing 24th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 18th June 1847 but she died on board [4]

Breadon Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Robert Breadon, aged 23, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1913
Essie Breadon, aged 38, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Breadon (post 1700) +

Samuel Breadon (1876-1949), American president and majority owner of the St. Louis Cardinals (1920 to 1947)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 66)