Show ContentsBardsee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bardsee

What does the name Bardsee mean?

The lineage of the name Bardsee begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the village named Bardsley in Lancashire. The village itself traces its name back to the Old English words Beornred's leah, which mean Beornred's wood or Beornred's clearing. The personal name Beornred means warrior counsel.

Early Origins of the Bardsee family

The surname Bardsee was first found in Greater Manchester at Bardsley where the earliest record of the place name was Berdesley in 1422. 1 Bardsey is a small village in the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire and dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Berdesei. 2 "Bardsley House, overlooking the glen of the Medlock, is the seat of John Jonah Harrop, Esq. Many generations of the Bardsley family held the estate, under the lords of Ashton, by the feudal payment of a rose and one penny, annually: the property subsequently came, by marriage, to the Tetlows." 3

Early History of the Bardsee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bardsee research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1640 is included under the topic Early Bardsee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bardsee Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bardsee has undergone many spelling variations, including Bardsley, Bardsey, Bardsea, Bardsly, Bardesey and many more.

Early Notables of the Bardsee family

More information is included under the topic Early Bardsee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bardsee family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bardsee were among those contributors: William Beardsley, who came to New England in 1635 with Mary his wife and three children; Alexander Beardsley, who arrived in Delaware Bay in 1683 with his wife and daughter.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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