| ![Show Contents]() Bearward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of BearwardWhat does the name Bearward mean? The name Bearward is derived from the Old English words "bere, weard," and literally means "keeper of the bear." 1 Another source postulates that as an occupational name, it was known as bearward, "the keeper of a bear for exhibition of tricks; one who travels from place to place with a bear." 2 Early Origins of the Bearward familyThe surname Bearward was first found in Cambridgeshire, where Fulk le Bereward was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1208. Later Stephen Bereward was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and in London, Edward Bereward was listed there in 1356. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry for the family, that of Michael le Bereward in Huntingdonshire. 2 Early History of the Bearward familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bearward research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1273, 1275, 1356, 1369 and 1594 are included under the topic Early Bearward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bearward Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bearward family name include Bearward, Beareward, Berewood, Berewoode, Bereward, Barwarde, Bearwoode, Bearwood and many more. Early Notables of the Bearward familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bearward Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bearward familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bearward surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Harry Barward, who came to Harris County, TX in 1886.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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