The family name Barkhouse is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names of Britain. It was originally a name for a person who worked as a worker at the bake-house. The bake-house was where all the people in a village would bake their bread in communal ovens.
The surname Barkhouse was first found in Cumberland and Durham, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barkhouse research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1894, 1554, 1626, 1598, 1601, 1593 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Barkhouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Barkhouse include Backhouse, Baccus, Bachus, Bakehouse, Backas, Backhuse and many more.
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barkhouse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Barkhouse family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Andrew Backhouse who settled by the Oswegatchie River in 1822; Henry Bachus arrived in Philadelphia in 1774; Joane Bakehouse settled in Virginia in 1654..