Beauchamp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  France 


Today's generation of the Beauchamp family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Beauchamp family lived in Bedfordshire, Buckingham, and Hertfordshire. The geographical roots of the name, however, were established prior to the family's presence in Britain, and stem from the Old French Beauchamps, which refers to towns of that name in Manche and Somme.

Early Origins of the Beauchamp family

The surname Beauchamp was first found in Bedfordshire, Buckingham, and Hertford, where the name was "introduced into England at the Norman Conquest by Hugo de Beauchamp, or de Bello Campo, to whom William [the Conqueror] gave 43 lordships, chiefly in the county of Bedford. " 1

Linslade in Buckinghamshire has a long-time association with the family. "This place in the reign of Henry III. belonged to William de Beauchamp [(d. 1260)], to whom, in 1251, that monarch granted the privilege of a market on Thursday, and a fair on Lady-day to continue for eight days." 2

Roothing-Beauchamp, a parish, in the union and hundred of Ongar, S. division of the county of Essex " takes the affix to its name from William Beauchamp, proprietor of the manor in 1262." 2

Another branch was found at early times in the parish of Shrawley in Worcestershire. "This place belonged to Ralph de Todeni, who was standardbearer to William at the battle of Hastings, and whose family held the lands till the time of Edward II., when they passed to the family of Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick." 2

Also in Worcestershire, a branch of the family was found at Bengeworth. "The manor [of Bengeworth] anciently belonged to the Beauchamp family, whose baronial castle, situated near the bridge, was in the twelfth century destroyed by William d'Anville, abbot of Evesham, in retaliation for depredations committed by the owner on his monastery." 2

Walter de Beauchamp (d. 1236), was an English judge, son and heir of William de Beauchamp, Lord of Elmley, Worcester, and hereditary castellan of Worcester and sheriff of the county. 3

Robert de Beauchamp (d. 1252), was an early English judge, a minor at the death of his father, Robert de Beauchamp, Lord of Hatch, Somerset, in 1211-1212. "Adhering to John, he was appointed constable of Oxford and sheriff of the county towards the close of 1215, and received grants of land for his services to the king. " 3

Guy de Beauchamp , Earl of Warwick (d. 1315), was Lord Ordainer and succeeded his father, William, Earl of Warwick, the grandson of Walter de Beauchamp.

Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (1382-1439), was "a brave and chivalrous warrior in an age of chivalry, of an ancient family, whose ancestry was traced to the legendary Guy of Warwick, the son of Thomas, Earl of Warwick." 3

Early History of the Beauchamp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beauchamp research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1338, 1343, 1369, 1392, 1401, 1411, 1445, 1592 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Beauchamp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beauchamp Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Beauchamp were recorded, including Beauchamp, Beauchamps, Beacham, Beecham and others.

Early Notables of the Beauchamp family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Beauchamp World Ranking

In the United States, the name Beauchamp is the 2,889th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Beauchamp is ranked the 375th most popular surname with an estimated 12,310 people with that name. 5 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Beauchamp is the 184th popular surname. 6 France ranks Beauchamp as 3,416th with 2,000 - 2,500 people. 7


Beauchamp migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Beauchamp arrived in North America very early:

Beauchamp Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Beauchamp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Beauchamp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Beauchamp migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beauchamp Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Beauchamp Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Beauchamp Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Beauchamp migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Beauchamp Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Beauchamp (post 1700) +
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