Show ContentsBladeshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bladeshaw belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in one of the settlements named Bradshaw in Derbyshire, Lancashire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Bladeshaw family

The surname Bladeshaw was first found in Lancashire at Bradshaw, a chapelry in the parish and union of Bolton in the hundred of Salford, now part of Greater Manchester. The chapelry dates back to 1246 when it was listed as Bradeshaghe and literally meant "broad wood or copse" derived from the Old English brad + sceaga. 1 The chapelry is "where the Bradshaws have flourished from the time of the Saxons." 2 John de Bradshagh was rector of the church of St. Michael, Aughton, Lancashire in 1382. Years later the same church's records listed William Bradshagh as the rector in 1489, with Thomas Bradshagh as his patron. 3 One would presume that the rectors were related.

There is another Bradshaw in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This ecclesiastical district, in the parish and union of Halifax is much larger than the Lancashire chapelry, but little was found in relation to the surname.

Early History of the Bladeshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bladeshaw research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1513, 1571, 1602, 1613, 1618, 1628, 1635, 1636, 1659, 1660, 1669, 1671, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1702, 1732 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bladeshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bladeshaw Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bladeshaw include Bradshaw, Bradshay, Bradshaigh, Bradshawe, Braidshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Bladeshaw family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Bradshaw (c.1450-1513), English poet; William Bradshaw (1571-1618), English Puritan divine, son of Nicholas Bradshaw, of a Lancashire family, born at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire; Richard Bradshaigh or Bradshaw (1602-1669), an English Jesuit, born in Lancashire; John Bradshaw (1602-1659), one of the judges to preside over the trial and subsequent death sentence of Charles I of England; Sir Roger Bradshaigh, 1st Baronet (1628-1684), an English politician, Member...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bladeshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Bladeshaw family to Ireland

Some of the Bladeshaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bladeshaw family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bladeshaw were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Bradshaw, who was recorded in Maryland in 1674; Captain William Bradshaw of Ireland who fled Connecticut in 1728 and settled in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and many of the North American Bradshaws are descended from this stem.



The Bladeshaw Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Qui vit content tient assez
Motto Translation: He who lives contentedly has enough.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].


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