Show ContentsBreareton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Breareton arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Breareton family lived in Staffordshire. They lived in this area on estates at Brereton Manor, from which they took their name. Other records show that Brearton was a village in the parish of Knaresborough in Yorkshire and Brereton was a village three miles from Sandbach, Chester.

"One of the great Cheshire families who can be proved to have existed at or near the time of the Conquest, and are yet unnoticed in [the] Domesday [Book]. They came over with the Conqueror, in the train of Hugh Lupus, with Gilbert de Venables to whom they are apparently related, and settled at Brereton, from which place the name was assumed as early as temp. William Rufus. " 1

Early Origins of the Breareton family

The surname Breareton was first found in Cheshire at Brereton, a civil parish, containing the hamlets of Brereton Green and Brereton Heath. Brereton dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Bretone and literally meant "farmstead amongst the briars," having derived from the Old English words brer + dun. 2 At that time, Gilbert de Venables held the lands of Brereton which was large enough for 4 ploughs and held 1 acre of meadow. 3

Brereton Hall, built for Sir William Brereton (1550-1631) is a country house north of the village of Brereton Green.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Brearton, a village and civil parish in the Harrogate borough of North Yorkshire. In this case, the place name dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Braretone 3 having derived from the same literal origin as the aforementioned Brereton.

Further north and east, Brierton is a township, in the parish of Stranton, union of Stockton-upon-Tees, North East division of Stockton ward, South division of the county of Durham. While one would presume that the township was related to the family, "the manor belonged from the earliest date of the records to the family of Graystock. It afterwards passed to the Dacres." 4

Early History of the Breareton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breareton research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1604, 1611, 1631, 1659, 1661, 1664, 1680, 1691, 1718 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Breareton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Breareton Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Brereton, Breereton, Breeretoun, Breeretoune, Breriton and many more.

Early Notables of the Breareton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Lord Brereton of Carlaw; Sir William Brereton of Brereton, 1st Lord of Laghlin (1550-1631); Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet Brerton (1604-1661), English soldier, politician, and writer, Commander-in-Chief for Parliament's army during the English Civil War; William Brereton, 2nd Baron Brereton (1611-1664), an...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Breareton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Breareton family to Ireland

Some of the Breareton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 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 Breareton family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Breareton or a variant listed above: John Brereton who settled in Barbados in 1654; John Brereton settled in Maine in 1602; eighteen years before the Mayflower" and was one of the pioneers of the Maine rivers.



The Breareton 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: Opitulante Deo
Motto Translation: By God’s help.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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