| ![Show Contents]() Balkwill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Balkwill reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Balkwill family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Balkwill family lived in Derbyshire, in the town of Bakewell. Early Origins of the Balkwill familyThe surname Balkwill was first found in Derbyshire, at Bakewell, today a small market town in the Peak District. The town dates back to at least Anglo Saxon times when it was listed as Balecanwell in 949. By the time of the Domesday Book, the place was listed as Badequella and was derived from an Old English personal name + wella meaning "spring or stream of a man called Badeca." 1 At that time, King Edward had 18 carucates of land to the geld and the land was large enough to hold 18 ploughs. There was one mill, one church and one lead mine with 80 acres of meadows. 2 Bakewell Castle in the town of Bakewell was a motte and bailey castle built in the 12th century that was razed to the ground during the English Civil War; now only ruins can be seen. John de Bankwell, Bakwell, or Banquelle (d. 1308), was an early English judge, "appointed in 1297 to travel the forests in Essex, Huntingdon, Northampton, Rutland, Surrey, and Sussex, for the purpose of enforcing the observance of the forest laws of Henry III." 3 Roger de Bankwell (fl. 1340), the English judge, was "perhaps of the same family as John de Bankwell, and was one of three commissioners entrusted with the assessment of the tallage in the counties of Nottingham and Derby in 1333." 3 Early History of the Balkwill familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balkwill research. Another 47 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1618, 1650, 1654, 1665, 1682, 1683, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1701, 1708 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Balkwill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Balkwill Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Bakewell, Backwell, Bakwell, Balkwell, Balkwill, Backwall, Bakewill, Bagwell and many more. Early Notables of the Balkwill familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert Bakewell of the Old Hall; Edward Backwell (ca. 1618-1683), an English goldsmith, financier, and politician, often referred to as "the principal founder of the banking system in England", and "far and away the best documented banker of his time"; and his son, John Backwell...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Balkwill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Balkwill family to Ireland
Some of the Balkwill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Balkwill familyBecause of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Balkwill name or one of its variants: Henry Bagwell who settled in Virginia in 1623; Peter Bagwell settled in Barbados in 1685; Thomas Bagwell in Virginia 1623; Francis Bakewell settled in Virginia in 1635.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Balkwill (post 1700) | + |
- Fran Balkwill OBE FMedSci (b. 1952), English scientist, Professor of Cancer Biology at Queen Mary University of London, and author of children's books about scientific topics
- Kelsey Ellen Balkwill (b. 1992), Canadian silver medalist athlete
- Andrew Balkwill (b. 1972), Australian footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club (1997-1998)
- Alexander Balkwill (1877-1947), Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Derby County
- Bryan Havell Balkwill (1922-2007), English orchestral conductor, born in London
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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England
Ireland
