The Breeland name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the settlement of Brierley in Staffordshire or in Brierly in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The surname Breeland was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Breeland research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Breeland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Breeland has undergone many spelling variations, including Brearly, Breary, Breereley, Breerly and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Breeland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Breeland were among those contributors: Thomas Brearly who settled in Barbados with his wife and servants in 1680; Martin Brearly settled in New England in 1679; Edward Brearly settled in Jamaica in 1685.