The origins of the Balent name lie with England's ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in
Suffolk, where they held a
family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name.
Early Origins of the Balent family
The surname Balent was first found in
Suffolk, in the village and civil parish of Baylham. The village dates back to the
Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Beleham and probably meant "homestead or enclosure at a river-bend" from the Old English words "begel" + "ham" or "hamm."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)The parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, East division of Suffolk, 3 miles from Needham-Market was small but contained about 275 inhabitants in the late 1890s. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Balent family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balent research.
Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1635, 1684, 1830, 1600 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Balent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Balent Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason,
spelling variations are commonly found in early
Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Balent were recorded, including Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more.
Early Notables of the Balent family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Balent Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Balent family to Ireland
Some of the Balent family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in
Ireland is included in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Balent family to the New World and Oceana
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Balent family emigrate to North America: Charles Baalam who sailed to New
England in 1656. Charles Balam arrived in Barbados in 1679 and William Balam sailed to Philadelphia in 1856.
Balent Family Crest Products
See Also
Citations
- ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.