Bensly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Bensly reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bensly family lived in Norfolk and Suffolk. The name is derived from an Old Norse phrase which means an area where beans were grown.

Early Origins of the Bensly family

The surname Bensly was first found in Norfolk and Suffolk, where they had been granted lands by King William after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They are descended from Benzelius, Archbishop of Upsal in the Viking kingdom of Sweden. Benzelinus accompanied William Conqueror into England. There are now 28 different forms of spelling of this name. 1

Early History of the Bensly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bensly research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1548 is included under the topic Early Bensly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bensly Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bensly family name include Bensley, Bensely, Benseley, Benesle, Bensle, Benslie, Benslee, Benisly, Benslow, Beanslie, Binslie and many more.

Early Notables of the Bensly family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bensly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bensly migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Bensly family to immigrate North America:

Bensly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christian Bensly, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 2

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)