Bretcher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bretcher

What does the name Bretcher mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Bretcher comes from when the family resided near a newly cultivated piece of land. The surname Bretcher is derived from the Old English word bræc. 1

Early Origins of the Bretcher family

The surname Bretcher was first found in Shropshire where Peter de la Breche was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1221. A few years later, Peter de la Brach was listed in Surrey in 1248 and Philip atte Breche was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Later again, Rose atte Brache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1309. Robert le Brechere was listed at Oseney, Oxfordshire in 1245, while William le Brechere was found in Cornwall in 1297. 1

Early History of the Bretcher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bretcher research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bretcher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bretcher Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bretcher has been recorded under many different variations, including Breach, Brech, Britch, Breashears, Breashear and many more.

Early Notables of the Bretcher family

More information is included under the topic Early Bretcher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bretcher migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bretcher or a variant listed above:

Bretcher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Bretcher, aged 31, who arrived in Missouri in 1844 3

Bretcher migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet

Mr. William Bretcher, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 2

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)