Bellefeul History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe name Bellefeul has a long French heritage that first began in northwestern region of Brittany. The name is derived from when the family lived in the seigneurie of Belleville, which translates from the French as "beautiful town." Early Origins of the Bellefeul familyThe surname Bellefeul was first found in Normandy from Belleville or Bella Villa, near Dieppe, now called Belleville-sur-Mer. "Jean de Belleville took part in the third crusade; and Raoul de Belleville was one of the knights serving in the castle of Arques in 1419. This old Norman house is now represented by the Marquis de Belleville, who is seated at Pont-Tranquart near Dieppe." 1 "In England the name is often given Boleville. Robert de Boleville, in 1165, held two knight's fees of the Earl of Gloucester in Gloucestershire 2 and Godfrey de Bellavalle is mentioned in Essex 1194-1198 (Rot. Cur. Regis). Ralph de Bellaville, in the time of Richard I., was a benefactor of Vaudrey Abbey, Lincoln (Mon. i. 833), to which he gave some lands in Yorkshire. Nicholas de Bolevill and his wife Avicia held in Devon of the Honour of Gloucester 3. Nicholas de Bolleville was knight of the shire for Somerset in 1316 (Palgrave's Pari. Writs). Another Nicholas (perhaps father to the last), was among "the faithful nobles " summoned in 1238 by Henry III." 1 Early History of the Bellefeul familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bellefeul research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1744 is included under the topic Early Bellefeul History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bellefeul Spelling VariationsHistory has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Bellefeul, some of which include Beleville, Belleville, Bellevill, Belevill, Belavill, Bellavill, Bellaville, Bellivill, Belivill, Belliville, Bailleuville, Baileuville, Baileuvile, Bailleuvill, Ballevall, Ballevalle, de Belleville, De Belleville, Bellefeul, Bellefeull and many more. Early Notables of the Bellefeul familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bellefeul Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bellefeul familyFrance was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Bellefeul has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bellefeul were Francois Belleville who settled in Louisiana in 1756; Louis Bellefeulle arrived from Angoumois in 1735 in Quebec.
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