Bretteshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Bretteshaw is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in one of the settlements named Bradshaw in Derbyshire, Lancashire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Bretteshaw family

The surname Bretteshaw was first found in Lancashire at Bradshaw, a chapelry in the parish and union of Bolton in the hundred of Salford, now part of Greater Manchester. The chapelry dates back to 1246 when it was listed as Bradeshaghe and literally meant "broad wood or copse" derived from the Old English brad + sceaga. 1 The chapelry is "where the Bradshaws have flourished from the time of the Saxons." 2 John de Bradshagh was rector of the church of St. Michael, Aughton, Lancashire in 1382. Years later the same church's records listed William Bradshagh as the rector in 1489, with Thomas Bradshagh as his patron. 3 One would presume that the rectors were related.

There is another Bradshaw in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This ecclesiastical district, in the parish and union of Halifax is much larger than the Lancashire chapelry, but little was found in relation to the surname.

Early History of the Bretteshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bretteshaw research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1513, 1571, 1602, 1613, 1618, 1628, 1635, 1636, 1659, 1660, 1669, 1671, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1702, 1732 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bretteshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bretteshaw Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Bretteshaw has been spelled many different ways, including Bradshaw, Bradshay, Bradshaigh, Bradshawe, Braidshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Bretteshaw family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Bradshaw (c.1450-1513), English poet; William Bradshaw (1571-1618), English Puritan divine, son of Nicholas Bradshaw, of a Lancashire family, born at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire; Richard Bradshaigh or Bradshaw (1602-1669), an English Jesuit, born in Lancashire; John Bradshaw (1602-1659), one of the judges to preside over the trial and subsequent death sentence of Charles I of England; Sir Roger Bradshaigh, 1st Baronet (1628-1684), an English politician, Member...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bretteshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bretteshaw family to Ireland

Some of the Bretteshaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bretteshaw family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Bretteshaws to arrive in North America: John Bradshaw, who was recorded in Maryland in 1674; Captain William Bradshaw of Ireland who fled Connecticut in 1728 and settled in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and many of the North American Bradshaws are descended from this stem.

The Bretteshaw Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Qui vit content tient assez
Motto Translation: He who lives contentedly has enough.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].