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| Origins Available: |
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The present generation of the Baulch family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived at or near a bank or ridge. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word Balca which means dweller by the bank or ridge. 1
The surname Baulch was first found in Oxfordshire, where William Belch was first listed as a Templar in 1185. Later, William le Belch was listed as holding lands in Essex in 1295 and Robert Balch was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1328. 1
Kirby's Quest lists "Robert Balch, Somerset, 1 Edward III" (holding lands there during the first year's reign of Edward III.) 2
Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baulch research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1295, 1327, 1332, 1604, 1659, 1669, 1670, 1735 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Baulch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Baulch include Balch, Balche, Belch, Belche, Ballch, Bellch, Ballche and many more.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baulch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Baulch were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: