Brisfard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Brisfard first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Beresford, in Staffordshire. The name is derived from the word beris, which means bear.

Early Origins of the Brisfard family

The surname Brisfard was first found in Staffordshire, where the family held "a manor and township in Alstonfield, possessed by the ancestors of the several noble families of this surname for centuries." 1 It is generally thought that John de Beresford, Lord of Beresford held a manor "in the best part of the Moorlands" in 1087.

"The manor [of Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire] belonged to a branch of the Beresfords of Staffordshire, who settled at this place in the reign of Henry VI. The elder branch of the Beresfords of Bentley, soon became extinct in the male line, and the manor came, by marriage with their heiress, to the Beresfords of Staffordshire, from whom it passed into various hands." 2

"Beresford Hall, an ancient mansion now partly in ruins, stands on the west bank of the Dove, about two miles above Alstonfield. The Beresford Hall estate gives the title of Viscount to William Carr Beresford, general in the army, and Duke of Elvas, in Portugal, whose family has possessed this manor from the time of the Conquest." 2 Years later, Adam de Beresford was listed in the Subsidy Rolls in Staffordshire in 1327. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Beresford in Cambridgeshire. 4 Iselhempstead Latimer in Buckinghamshire was another ancient family seat. "This place, with the surrounding estate, belonged in the reign of Edward III. to Simon Beresford." 2

Ralph de Bereford (fl. 1329), was an English judge and "was of a legal family possessing large estates in the midland counties. He may have been a son of Osbert de Barford, or Bereford, chief gentleman to Ranulf of Hengham, justice of the common pleas, who was probably son of Walter de Barford of Langley in Warwickshire, and brother of Sir William de Bereford (d. 1326), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1309. " 5

Early History of the Brisfard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brisfard research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1669, 1673, 1681, 1694, 1701, 1746, 1763, 1768, 1773, 1854, 1862 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Brisfard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brisfard Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Brisfard has appeared include Beresford, Berresford, Berrisford, Berisford, Bereford and many more.

Early Notables of the Brisfard family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Tristram Beresford, 1st Baronet (died 1673), an Irish soldier and politician, eldest son of Tristram Beresford, from Kent who had settled in Ireland. Humphrey Berisford (died ca...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brisfard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brisfard family to Ireland

Some of the Brisfard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 119 words (8 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 Brisfard family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Brisfard arrived in North America very early: Thomas Beresford who settled in Barbados in 1654 with his servants; William Beresford arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1855; Adam Beresford arrived in Philadelphia in 1860.

The Brisfard 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: Nil nisi cruce
Motto Translation: Nothing unless by the cross.

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.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print