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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The Anglo-Saxon name Bethewater comes from the family having resided on the waterfront. The name means "dweller by the water," and refers to residence near a river, lake, or coast.
The surname Bethewater was first found in West Yorkshire at Allerton Bywater, a semi-rural village and civil parish in the south-east of City of Leeds. Today Allerton Bywater is made up of old mining villages including: Brigshaw, Hollinhurst and Bowers Row and is famous for its Allerton pottery. Looking back into history, the village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Alretune, but by 1430, the village was listed as "Allerton by ye water." The "water" reference is the River Aire. Allerton literally means "farmstead or village where alder-trees grow" from the Old English words alor + tun. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bethewater research. Another 233 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1279, 1327, 1379, 1500, 1597 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Bethewater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bethewater has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Bywater, Biwater, Byewater, Bithewater, Bipewatere, Beyewatyr, Bythewater, Bethewater and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Bethewater Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Bethewaters to arrive on North American shores: G. Bywater who arrived in New Jersey in 1675.