Beecham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Beecham

What does the name Beecham mean?

Beecham is one of the names that was brought to England in the wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Beecham family lived in Bedfordshire, Buckingham, and Hertfordshire. The geographical roots of the name, however, were established prior to the family's presence in Britain, and stem from the Old French Beauchamps, which refers to towns of that name in Manche and Somme.

Early Origins of the Beecham family

The surname Beecham was first found in Bedfordshire, Buckingham, and Hertford, where the name was "introduced into England at the Norman Conquest by Hugo de Beauchamp, or de Bello Campo, to whom William [the Conqueror] gave 43 lordships, chiefly in the county of Bedford. " 1

Linslade in Buckinghamshire has a long-time association with the family. "This place in the reign of Henry III. belonged to William de Beauchamp [(d. 1260)], to whom, in 1251, that monarch granted the privilege of a market on Thursday, and a fair on Lady-day to continue for eight days." 2

Roothing-Beauchamp, a parish, in the union and hundred of Ongar, S. division of the county of Essex " takes the affix to its name from William Beauchamp, proprietor of the manor in 1262." 2

Another branch was found at early times in the parish of Shrawley in Worcestershire. "This place belonged to Ralph de Todeni, who was standardbearer to William at the battle of Hastings, and whose family held the lands till the time of Edward II., when they passed to the family of Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick." 2

Also in Worcestershire, a branch of the family was found at Bengeworth. "The manor [of Bengeworth] anciently belonged to the Beauchamp family, whose baronial castle, situated near the bridge, was in the twelfth century destroyed by William d'Anville, abbot of Evesham, in retaliation for depredations committed by the owner on his monastery." 2

Walter de Beauchamp (d. 1236), was an English judge, son and heir of William de Beauchamp, Lord of Elmley, Worcester, and hereditary castellan of Worcester and sheriff of the county. 3

Robert de Beauchamp (d. 1252), was an early English judge, a minor at the death of his father, Robert de Beauchamp, Lord of Hatch, Somerset, in 1211-1212. "Adhering to John, he was appointed constable of Oxford and sheriff of the county towards the close of 1215, and received grants of land for his services to the king. " 3

Guy de Beauchamp , Earl of Warwick (d. 1315), was Lord Ordainer and succeeded his father, William, Earl of Warwick, the grandson of Walter de Beauchamp.

Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (1382-1439), was "a brave and chivalrous warrior in an age of chivalry, of an ancient family, whose ancestry was traced to the legendary Guy of Warwick, the son of Thomas, Earl of Warwick." 3

Early History of the Beecham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beecham research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1338, 1343, 1369, 1392, 1401, 1411, 1445, 1592 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Beecham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beecham Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Beecham include Beauchamp, Beauchamps, Beacham, Beecham and others.

Early Notables of the Beecham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was the Earls of Warwick, such as Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick (d. 1369), who was an English nobleman and a military commander during the Hundred Years' War; Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick, (1338-1401), English medieval nobleman, and one of the primary opponents of Richard II, son of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beecham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beecham Ranking

In the United States, the name Beecham is the 16,639^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Beecham migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Beechams to arrive on North American shores:

Beecham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Beecham, who settled in Virginia in 1698

Beecham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Beecham, who landed in America in 1765 5

Beecham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Jack Beecham, aged 5, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1904
Joseph Beecham, aged 58, who landed in America from Hayton, England, in 1906
Joseph Beecham, aged 59, who landed in America from London, England, in 1907
Edith Beecham, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1907
Moses Beecham, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Alerdare, Wales, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Beecham (post 1700) +

Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), 2nd Baronet Beecham, English Symphony Conductor who founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Emily Beecham (b. 1984), English actress
Sir Joseph Beecham (1848-1916), 1st Baronet Beecham, of Ewanville, Huyston, co. Lancaster, English lawyer, mayor of St. Helens, Lancashire
Sir John Stratford Roland Beecham (b. 1940), 4th Baronet
Sir Adrian Welles Beecham (1904-1982), 3rd Baronet
Betty Humby Beecham (d. 1958), British pianist and wife of the conductor Thomas Beecham
Sinclair Beecham MBE, British entrepreneur
Jeremy Beecham (b. 1944), British Labour politician
Thomas Beecham (1820-1907), British chemist

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)