Brackley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Brackley family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living at a clearing in an area with a lush growth of bracken, a type of fern. Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire with a very interesting history. Originally the town was known as Brachelai or Brackele, and owned in 1086 by Earl Alberic. By the 11th and 12th centuries Brackley was part of the Hundred of Odboldistow and in the Manor of Halse. Richard I (The Lionheart) named five official sites for jousting tournaments so that such events could not be used as local wars, and Brackley was one of these. Henry III attacked and destroyed the castle in 1173. King John and the barons were originally to have signed Magna Carta at Brackley Castle, but they eventually did so at Runnymede.

Early Origins of the Brackley family

The surname Brackley was first found in Northamptonshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Brackley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brackley research. Another 257 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1202, 1273, 1332, 1500, 1540, 1617, 1672, 1697, 1704, 1729 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Brackley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brackley Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Brackley include Brackley, Brackele, Brackely, Braceley, Bracely and others.

Early Notables of the Brackley family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Egerton Brackley (1540-1617), British judge and statesman

Brackley migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Brackley or a variant listed above:

Brackley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Brackley, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 1
Mary Brackley, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 1

Brackley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Brackley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Brackley migration to Australia +

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

Brackley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Brackley, English farm labourer who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1896 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Brackley (post 1700) +

Peter Brackley, English television football commentator
Ian James Brackley (b. 1947), Anglican Bishop of Dorking

Citations +

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 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian