The lineage of the name Bekwith begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived at Beckwith in the Yorkshire parish of Pannal, and it is from this location that the name Bekwith is derived. The distinguished name Bekwith is derived from the Old English word bece, which means beech, and the Old Norse word vior, which means wood. Thus the surname Bekwith indicates the proximity of the town to a grove of beech trees. [1] The name of Beckwith is said to have been changed from Malbie in the 12th century. [2]
The surname Bekwith was first found in Yorkshire, where "most of the armigerous families of the name spring from, and Beckwith, a hamlet in the parish of Pannal, in that county, is probably the cradle of the race. " [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bekwith research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bekwith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Bekwith has undergone many spelling variations, including Beckwith, Beckworth, Beckworthe and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Bekwith Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Bekwith were among those contributors: Sir Marmaduke Beckwith of Aldborough who settled in Richmond County, Virginia in 1748; but he had been preceded by Matthew Beckwith who settled in Connecticut in 1635.