Show ContentsBlasay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Blasay family

The surname Blasay was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Norman influence of English history strongly penetrated English society after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed.

The family name was first referenced in the 11th century in Yorkshire when they held estates in that shire. Robert Blaise succeeded in 1272. They are believed to be originally from Blay, 3 miles north east of Le Molay in Calvados.

The name may have been associated with a 4th century (316) French saint Blasius of Armenie (Armienes,) and later introduced into and adopted by Yorkshire people as their saint of wool-combers from a Norman noble.

"David Blaize" is a novel of school life by English author Edward Frederic Benson OBE. Published in 1916, it was quickly followed up by a second, entitled "David Blaize and the Blue Door" in 1918. The final novel of the trilogy was "David of King's" in 1924, but as to why the author chose the surname "Blaise" for the character for these novels remains a mystery.

Early History of the Blasay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blasay research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1642, 1784, 1799, 1813 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Blasay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blasay Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Blaise, Blaize, Blaze, Blasey, Blease, Bleas, Blase, Blays, Blayze, Blazey, Blazer and many more.

Early Notables of the Blasay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was François Henri Joseph Blaze, e, one of the most prolific writers on music and the drama France has produced, was born at Cavaillon in 1784. His father, a lawyer by profession, was a good musician, friend of Grétry and Méhul, and composer of masses, operas, and chamber music. Blaze was sent to Paris in 1799 to study the law, but the love of music soon began to show itself. He became a pupil at the Conservatoire, and took private lessons in harmony. In the meantime his professional career promised to be a prosperous...
Another 175 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blasay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blasay family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Blasay name or one of its variants: Albert Edward Blase, aged 16, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1917; Amalie Blase, aged 32, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1908; and Bishop Blase, aged 26, who arrived at Ellis Island from Liverpool, England, in 1911..



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