Show ContentsBeswick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Beswick Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Beswick

What does the name Beswick mean?

The ancestors of the name Beswick date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in one of two places named Beswick. One is located in the township of Berwick, in the parish of Kilnwick, in the East Riding of Yorkshire while the other is in Lancashire, where Berwick was a local to Manchester. "The many Beswicks of Lancashire undoubtedly hail from Yorkshire." 1 "The Beswicks of Gristhorpe [North Yorkshire] have been seated there for upwards of four centuries." 2

Early Origins of the Beswick family

The surname Beswick was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where Thomas de Bessewik was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297. Later in London, Thomas Besewyk was recorded in 1379 and John Beswyk was listed a Freeman of York in 1411. 3

Early History of the Beswick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beswick research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1688, 1758 and 1894 are included under the topic Early Beswick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beswick Spelling Variations

Beswick has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Beswick have been found, including Beswick, Beswicke, Beswickt, Bestwick, Beeswick, Beswyck and many more.

Early Notables of the Beswick family

  • John Wright Beswick and his his sons John and Gilbert, founders of John Beswick Ltd, formerly J. W. Beswick, a pottery manufacturer, founded in 1894 in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. They produced high-qual...
  • Hannah Beswick (1688-1758), of Birchin Bower, Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester, was a wealthy woman who had a pathological fear of premature burial. Following her death in 1758, her body was emb...

Beswick migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Beswicks to arrive on North American shores:

Beswick Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Beswick, aged 40, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
Beswick Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Beswick, aged 69, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 4
  • James Beswick, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 4
  • James Beswick who settled in Philadelphia in 1856

Beswick migration to Canada +

Beswick Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Beswick, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749

Beswick migration to Australia +

Beswick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Jonathan Beswick, English convict from Cheshire, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
  • Mr. William Beswick, (Balham), English convict who was convicted in Bolton, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Mr. Richard Beswick, British convict who was convicted in Preston, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Thomas Beswick, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hibernia" in 1851 8

Beswick migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Beswick Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Charles Jefferson Beswick, (b. 1802), aged 45, English , settler born in Cheshire arriving as 1st detachment of Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 9
  • Mrs. Harriet Beswick née Rowland, (b. 1824), aged 23, Welsh , settler born in Flintshire, Wales travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 9
  • Miss Harriet Beswick, (b. 1834), aged 13, British , settler born in Bellary, India travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 9
  • John Beswick, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hampshire" in 1853
  • Samuel Beswick, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hampshire" in 1853
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Beswick (post 1700) +

  • James William Beswick (b. 1958), American Major League Baseball outfielder
  • David Beswick (b. 1910), English footballer
  • Edmund "Ted" Beswick (1858-1911), English rugby union footballer
  • Bob Beswick (b. 1984), English-born, Irish international rugby league player
  • John Ewart Beswick (b. 1897), English footballer
  • Martine Beswick (b. 1941), English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films
  • Joseph Sutton Beswick (1831-1888), 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand
  • Marc Beswick (b. 1983), professional Canadian football cornerback
  • Bill Beswick, British sports psychologist
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Royal Oak
  • Henry William James Beswick (d. 1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 10
  • Mr. Harold Beswick, British cook's mate, who was aboard the ship "HMS Vanguard" when she exploded in the Scapa Flow off the Orkney Islands, Scotland on 9th July 1917
  • Mrs. Pearl Beswick (b. 1917), British passenger from Quebec was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, she died in the sinking
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. 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)
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HIBERNIA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Hibernia.gif
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html

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