The ancient history of the Broadmeadow name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided near an expansive meadow. The surname Broadmeadow is derived from the Old English words brad, which means broad, and mæd, which means meadow.
The surname Broadmeadow was first found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Broadmeadow research. Another 210 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1377, 1400, 1500, 1642, and 1724 are included under the topic Early Broadmeadow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Broadmeadow include Broadmeadow, Brodmed, Bradmedowe, Brodemedowe, Bradmead, Brodmeade and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Broadmeadow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Broadmeadow or a variant listed above: