Breakspeare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Breakspeare is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Breakspeare was a name used for a person who is victor in a tournament or battle.

Early Origins of the Breakspeare family

The surname Breakspeare was first found in Hertfordshire at Breakspear College in Abbots Langley, Three Rivers, Hertfordshire which is now a Grade II Listed Building and thought to have originally been built c. 1770 as a rebuilding of an earlier house. The present name commemorates Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100-1159), born in Abbots Langley, who, as Pope Adrian IV, became the only English Pope in 1154. (British Listed Buildings)

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) in his novel Manalive mentions the Warden of Brakespeare (Brikespeare) College, Cambridge University, but this is a fictional reference.

Early History of the Breakspeare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breakspeare research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Breakspeare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breakspeare Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Breakspeare include Brakespear, Breakspear, Brakespeare, Breakspeare and others.

Early Notables of the Breakspeare family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Nicholas Breakspeare was obviously the most famous notable of this name, the early English ecclesiastic, who became Pope Adrian, the only English Pope to sit on the throne of Rome...

Breakspeare migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Breakspeare were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Breakspeare Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jane Breakspeare who settled in New England in 1773