Contents [hide]

Blyth History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Blyth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The saga of the name Blyth begins with a Strathclyde-Briton family in the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for a happy or cheerful person having been derived from the Old English word blithe. 1 2

Alternatively, the name could have originated at Blyth in Northumberland or in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Both parishes derive their name from the Old English "blithe," meaning "the gentle or pleasant one." 3 The Yorkshire parish anciently in Nottinghamshire is the oldest dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Blide. 4

Another source notes "This place, anciently called Blia and Blida, was chiefly noted in former times for its religious and charitable establishments. In 1088, a priory was founded in honour of the Blessed Virgin, by Roger de Builly and his wife Muriel, for monks of the Benedictine order; which, though considered as an alien priory, being in some respects subordinate to the abbey of the Holy Trinity, near Rouen, in Normandy, was yet spared at the suppression of alien priories, and subsisted till the general dissolution, when its revenue was estimated at £126. 8. 2. An hospital for lepers, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, was founded by Hugh de Cressy, lord of Hodsock, in the reign of John." 5

Early Origins of the Blyth family

The surname Blyth was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland. 6 Blyth was an old barony in the lordship of Lauderdale some time ago.

The first on record was of William de Blyth of Chirnesyde in Berwickshire who represented the family and rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296.

A few years later, the seal of Adam de Blyth was appended to an account of goods purchased at Perth in 1302. James Blyth was burgess of Dundy (Dundee) in 1485. 7

Further south in England, Blythe, Lancashire has an interesting history. It was originally held by Geoffrey Travers, whose son Henry, was called "de Blythe." Henry de Blythe's descendants "John and Robert de Blythe occur among the names of subscribers to the stipend of a chaplain at Ormskirk in 1366 and the latter also in the Poll Tax Roll of 1381. John de Blythe attested Scarisbrick charters in 1399 and 1401, and was the father of Roger, who in 1397 was charged with breaking into the parsonage house at Crossens. From him descended Roger Blythe, whose daughter and heir Margaret by her marriage with John Blakelache (or Blackledge) conveyed the estate to this family. " 8

Another source notes, William de Blithe was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Oxfordshire and Willelmus de Blythe was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

"Blight is the name of an old Bodmin [Cornwall, England] family that resided there as far back as the beginning of the 16th century; Bligh or Blighe was the early form of the name. There were Bodmin mayors of the name during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries." 9

Early History of the Blyth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blyth research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1493, 1499, 1503, 1530, 1542, 1563, 1567, 1603, 1605, 1646, 1654, 1691 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Blyth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blyth Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Blyth has been spelled Blythe, Bllyt, Blytht, Blyithe, Blith, Blyth, Blitht and many more.

Early Notables of the Blyth family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Richard Blyth, who represented Dundee in Parliament in 1567
Cuthbert Blyth, who was burgess of Edinburgh in 1563
Robert Blyth, who was retoured heir in land of Brounslope, Berwickshire, in 1646
Archibald Blyth, who appears as a baxter in Dysart in 1691
John Blyth (or John Blythe), Archdeacon of Richmond (1485-1493) and Bishop of Salisbury (1493-1499)
Geoffrey Blyth (died 1530), Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (1503-1530)

Migration of the Blyth family to Ireland

Some of the Blyth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blyth migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Blyth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Blyth, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 10
Mary Blyth, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 10
Jone Blyth, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 10
John Blyth who settled in Virginia in 1652 with his wife Mary
William Blyth, who landed in Virginia in 1652 10

Blyth Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Walter Blyth, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 10

Blyth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Blyth, who landed in New York in 1831 10
T Blyth, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
E Blyth, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 10
James Blyth, who arrived in New York, NY in 1866 10
Patrick Blyth, who landed in New York, NY in 1866 10

Blyth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blyth Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Blyth, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Neptune" in 1834
J R Blyth, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862
Joseph C Blyth, who landed in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Blyth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Blyth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Blyth who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Job Blyth, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Hatterton Blyth, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 13
Jemima Blyth, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 13
Margaret Blyth, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blyth 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:

Blyth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

David Blyth, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Martha Ridgway
James Blyth, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Isabella Blyth, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
James Blyth, aged 38, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Ann Blyth, aged 22, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blyth migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Blyth Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Sarah Blyth, who arrived in Jamaica in 1774 with her husband John

Contemporary Notables of the name Blyth (post 1700) +

Mark McGann Blyth (b. 1967), Scottish-American political economist
Ann Blyth (b. 1928), American singer and actress
Charles R. Blyth, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1944, 1956 15
Professor James Blyth MA, LLD, FRSE, FRSSA (1839-1906), Scottish electrical engineer and academic at Anderson's College
Robert Henderson Blyth RSW, RSA (1919-1970), Scottish landscape painter and artist
James Anton Blyth (b. 1955), Scottish football goalkeeper and coach
James Banes Blyth (1911-1979), Scottish professional footballer
James Cameron Blyth (b. 1890), Scottish footballer
Robert Fleming Blyth (1869-1941), Scottish footballer and manager for Portsmouth from 1901 to 1904
Benjamin Hall Blyth FRSE (1849-1917), often called Benjamin Blyth II, was a Scottish civil engineer
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Blyth family +

HMS Royal Oak

Henry Butters Blyth (1916-1939), 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 16

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
'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].
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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