Show ContentsBlackledge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Blackledge dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæcleah which meant "dark wood" or "dark clearing". The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book and little growth of the community was seen until the 19th century. By the middle of the 17th century Blackley was a village of just 107 inhabitants. Today Blackley is a suburb of Manchester with a population of over 10,000 people. There is also a hamlet named Blackey in West Yorkshire.

The Blackledge variant is interesting. It was derived from Black-lake, which evolved into Blackleach. "Probably the spot mentioned in a charter c. 1200 connected with property in Wilmslow parish, East Cheshire, from which district the name in most cases is undoubtedly sprung. " [1]

Early Origins of the Blackledge family

The surname Blackledge was first found in Lancashire at Blackley, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Manchester, hundred of Salford. [2] The first record of this chapelry was in 1282 when it was known as Blakeley and literally meant "dark wood or clearing," for the Old English "blaec" + "leah." [3]

Today Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. Originally a timber-framed farmhouse, it was built in 1590.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Adam de Blakeneye, alias Adam de Blakeleye, London was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. In Cheshire, the Wills at Chester included: Jane Blakeley, of Bury, widow; and Ralph Blakeley, of Bury. [1] John Blakelache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. [4]

Much further to the north in Scotland, the first record was of Radulphus Blackley who was juror on inquest at Berwick, 1321. [5]

Early History of the Blackledge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackledge research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1473, 1587, 1601, 1615, 1662 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blackledge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackledge Spelling Variations

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 Blackledge has undergone many spelling variations, including Blackley, Blakely, Blakley, Blacklee, Blackely, Blackledge, Blacklege, Blatchly and many more.

Early Notables of the Blackledge family

More information is included under the topic Early Blackledge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackledge Ranking

In the United States, the name Blackledge is the 11,742nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6]

Ireland Migration of the Blackledge family to Ireland

Some of the Blackledge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Blackledge migration to the United States +

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 Blackledge were among those contributors:

Blackledge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Blackledge, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1630
Blackledge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Allen Blackledge, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [7]
  • James Blackledge, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1873
Blackledge Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • John Blackledge, aged 34, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1905
  • Jane Blackledge, aged 33, who immigrated to the United States from Wejan, England, in 1907
  • Richard Blackledge, aged 23, who landed in America from Wigan, England, in 1908
  • George Blackledge, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Preston, England, in 1908
  • Mary Blackledge, aged 40, who landed in America from Penreth, England, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blackledge (post 1700) +

  • Benjamin Blackledge (1743-1815), American educator and public official
  • Ron Blackledge (b. 1938), former American football player and coach
  • William Blackledge (b. 1828), American politician, Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina
  • Todd Alan Blackledge (b. 1961), former American football quarterback
  • William Salter Blackledge (1793-1857), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons, 1820; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 4th District, 1821-23 [8]
  • William Blackledge (1767-1828), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State Legislature, 1797-99, 1809; U.S. Representative from North Carolina, 1803-09, 1811-13 [8]
  • V. R. Blackledge, American politician, Mayor of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 1950 [8]
  • Hobert Lee Blackledge (1900-1977), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 1936 [8]
  • Mrs. Harold Blackledge, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1952 [8]
  • Benjamin Blackledge, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rockland County, 1839 [8]
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  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. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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