Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Keasly is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the settlement of Kearsley in Lancashire. The surname Keasly belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxonhabitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
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Early Origins of the Keasly family
The surname Keasly was first found in Lancashire at Kearsley, now part of Greater Manchester. The first records of the place were found in 1187 when it was spelt Cherselawe and a few years later as Kereleie (c. 1220. ) The name literally means "clearing where cress grows" having derived from the Old English words caerse + leah. 1 There is another Kearsley, a township in the parish of Stamfordham, in Northumberland, but this township has remained rather small in comparison as a census in the late 1800s listed only 11 inhabitants, while the former township in Lancashire had 3,436 inhabitants in the same census.
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Early History of the Keasly family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keasly research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1210 is included under the topic Early Keasly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Keasly 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. Keasly has been spelled many different ways, including Kearsley, Kearsey, Keasley, Kersley and others.
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Early Notables of the Keasly family
More information is included under the topic Early Keasly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Keasly 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 Keaslys to arrive in North America: James Kearsley settled in Philadelphia in 1859.
England
