Show ContentsBaldrey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Baldrey family

The surname Baldrey was first found in Northumberland where the first on record was Saint Baldred or Balthere (d. 608?), a "Northumbrian anchorite of the sixth century, the details of whose life are entirely mythical. He is said to have been suffragan of Kentigern of Glasgow, but all the localities connected with his cultus are in Lothian. Baldred was one of the island saints more common in Celtic than in English hagiology. Baldred's feast-day is 6 March. Another Baldred, or Baltherus, who was a hermit of Durham, flourished about a century later, and after such miracles as walking on the sea died in 756. " 1

Further to the south, Baldred (fl. 823-825), was King of Kent, during the dissensions which weakened Mercia after the death of Cenwulf, endeavoured to make Kent independent of that kingdom.

Many years later, Baldred, decanus Laodonie, c. 1235 was listed and "Master Baldred (Bisset) le Scot, one of the commissioners sent to Rome to plead the cause of the independence of Scotland before the Pope, coming from beyond seas to Stirling Castle, had a safe conduct through England in 1306. " 2 There was an early Latin entry before this point: "Boldredus, official domini Sanctiandree, 1282 ."

Early History of the Baldrey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baldrey research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1235, 1306, 1481, 1504, 1512, 1515, 1524, 1608, 1663, 1679, 1685 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Baldrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baldrey Spelling Variations

The name Baldrey, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Baldrick, Baldred, Baldridge, Balrich, Baldrey and many more.

Early Notables of the Baldrey family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Thomas Baldry (c.1481-1524), English politician, Member of Parliament for Ipswich in 1504, 1512 and 1515; Edmund Boldero (1608-1679), an English royalist clergyman and academic, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge from...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baldrey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baldrey family to Ireland

Some of the Baldrey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Baldrey migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Baldrey family, or who bore a variation of the surname Baldrey were

Baldrey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Eliza Baldrey, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 3

Baldrey migration to Australia +

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

Baldrey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Baldrey, (b. 1818), aged 15, English chimney sweep who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Baldrey (post 1700) +

  • Loomis Baldrey (1882-1954), American Republican politician, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney, 1918-23; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington, 1940, 1944 5
  • Joshua Kirby Baldrey (1754-1828), English engraver and draftsman who practised both in London and Cambridge between 1780 and 1810; he exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy in 1793 and 1794 6


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 6 June 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook