Brakele History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Brakele

The present generation of the Brakele family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived 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 Brakele family

Early History of the Brakele family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brakele 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 Brakele History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brakele 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 Brakele include Brackley, Brackele, Brackely, Braceley, Bracely and others.

Early Notables of the Brakele family

Thomas Egerton Brackley (1540-1617), British judge and statesman. John Brekell (1697-1769), was a Presbyterian minister, born at North Meols, Lancashire, in 1697, and was educated for the ministry at Nottingham. "His first known settlement...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brakele Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brakele 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 Brakele were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Daniel Bracely who arrived in Philadelphia in 1875.