The name Barnslee was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Barnslee family lived in Worcestershire and Yorkshire, where they held an ancient seat and estates.
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Early Origins of the Barnslee family
The surname Barnslee was first found in Gloucestershire and South Yorkshire at Barnsley. Of the locales, the town in Yorkshire is by far the larger originating in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. This town dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Berneslai. However, the Gloucestershire parish which was originally part of historic Lancashire dates back further to 802 when it was listed as Bearmodeslea. It too was listed in the Domesday Book but had a different spelling of Bernesleis. Both locales were derived from the Old English personal name + "leah" and literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called Beornmod (Beorn)." 1 The family is conjecturally descended from a Norman noble Ilbert de Lacy who settled in the village of Barnsley in the West Riding of Yorkshire at the time of the Norman Conquest. Ilbert was Lord of the Manor of Barnsley.
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Early History of the Barnslee family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnslee research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1550 is included under the topic Early Barnslee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Barnslee Spelling Variations
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Barnsley, Barnsely, Barnseley, Barnsly and others.
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Early Notables of the Barnslee family
More information is included under the topic Early Barnslee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Barnslee family
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Barnslee or a variant listed above: Richard Barnssley and his wife who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766.
England
