Show ContentsBeswicke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • England
Beswicke Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Beswicke

What does the name Beswicke mean?

The name Beswicke has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived 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 Beswicke family

The surname Beswicke 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 Beswicke family

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

Beswicke Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Beswicke have been found, including Beswick, Beswicke, Beswickt, Bestwick, Beeswick, Beswyck and many more.

Early Notables of the Beswicke 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-quality porcelain figurines including many Beatrix Potter characters. Hannah Beswick (1688-1758), of Birchin Bower, Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester, was...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beswicke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Beswicke family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Beswicke, or a variant listed above: Matthew Bestwick who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834; James Beswick who settled in Philadelphia in 1856.
  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)

Houseofnames.com on Facebook