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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The present generation of the Brookshaw 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 by a small grove of trees near a stream. The surname Brookshaw is probably derived from a place named Brookshaw which was in the eastern part of Cheshire county. However, its exact location remains unknown in modern times.
The surname Brookshaw was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brookshaw research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1574, 1611, 1618, 1670, 1700 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Brookshaw 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 Brookshaw include Brookshaw, Brookeshawe, Bruckshaw, Brookshawe, Brokeshaw, Brukshaw, Brookshire and many more.
Notables of this surname at this time include:
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 Brookshaw were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: