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Origins Available: |
| England |
The ancestors of the Beteswithay family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Surrey, where they held a family seat from very early times at the village of Betsworth.
The surname Beteswithay was first found in Surrey where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. They were conjecturally descended from Richard FitzGilbert, a Norman noble who was granted the Old Mill and Church at Becesworde (Betchworth) at Betworth, later to become known as Betsworth in that shire. The Church still has eleventh century fragments and the Old Mill was rebuilt in the 16th century.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beteswithay research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1726 is included under the topic Early Beteswithay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Betsworth, Betesworth, Bettesworth, Betchworth and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Beteswithay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Beteswithay or a variant listed above: Francis Betsworth who settled in Virginia in 1780.