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Bromfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bromfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Bromfield name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Bromfield was originally derived from a family having lived near an area of open land covered with broom, which is a type of shrub which usually has small yellow flowers. The surname Bromfield may also be derived from residence in one of the places called Broomfield in the counties of Kent, Essex, or Somerset, or in one of the settlements called Bromfield in Cumberland (Cumbria) or at Broomfield in Shropshire.

Early Origins of the Bromfield family

The surname Bromfield was first found in Cumberland where their ancient manor and estates were at Hames Hall. They became one of the distinguished families of Cumberland. They also became responsible for the defense of the East March of the English Scottish border along with the Greys and the Dunnes. The place name was first spelt Brounefled (c. 1125) and was derived from the Old English words brom + fled. 1

One of the earliest records of the name was Edmund de Bromfield (Edmund Bromfeld or Bramfield) (died 1393), an English Benedictine monk of Bury St. Edmunds who became bishop of Llandaff. 2

Early History of the Bromfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bromfield research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1604, 1610, 1621, 1622, 1624, 1631, 1636, 1647, 1650, 1666, 1672, 1683, 1689, 1704 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Bromfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bromfield Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bromfield include Broomfield, Broomfeild, Bromfield, Broomfelde and many more.

Early Notables of the Bromfield family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir John Bromfield, 1st Baronet (c. 1610-c. 1666) of Southwark in Surrey, High Sheriff of Surrey in 1689
Arthur Bromfield (died 1650), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1604 and 1622
Sir Edward Bromfield (c. 1631-1704), 2nd Baronet, an English merchant and politician, Lord Mayor of London in 1636
Sir Charles Bromfield, 3rd Baronet (c. 1672-1733)
Robert Bromfield (died 1647), an English woodmonger (timber merchant) and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1624
Henry Bromfield of Haywood (1610-1683), English politician, verderer of the New Forest

Bromfield migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bromfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mark Bromfield, who settled in Virginia in 1645
Margaret Bromfield, who landed in Maryland in 1664 3
Richard Bromfield, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1666 3

Bromfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Bromfield, who settled in New England in 1758
Henry Bromfield who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1766

Bromfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Bromfield, who arrived in New York in 1852 3

Bromfield migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bromfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Bromfield, (Broomford), (b. 1816), aged 23, English farm labourer who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 15 years for murder, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), his conviction may have been reduced to manslaughter 4
George Bromfield, aged 30, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Himalaya" 5
George Bromfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 5
Percy Bromfield, who arrived in Sydney aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 6

Bromfield migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bromfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Thomas Read Bromfield, (b. 1812), aged 47, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 7
Mrs. Sarah Bromfield Née Steggall, (b. 1840), aged 19, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 7

Bromfield migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Bromfield Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Ffrancis Bromfield, aged 24, who arrived in Barbados in 1684 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Bromfield (post 1700) +

John Bromfield (1922-2005), American actor
Louis Bromfield (1896-1956), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for "Early Autumn"
William Bromfield (1712-1792), English surgeon, born in London in 1712, "and, after some years' instruction under a surgeon, commenced at an early period to practise on his own account" 9
William Arnold Bromfield (1801-1851), English botanist, born at Boldre, in the New Forest, Hampshire, his father, the Rev. John Arnold Bromfield, died in the same year 9
William Bromfield (1868-1950), English trade unionist and Labour Party Member of Parliament
Dionne Bromfield (b. 1996), English singer
Andrew Bromfield, British editor and translator of Russian works
Harry Dudley Bromfield (b. 1932), former South African cricketer
Lois Bromfield, Canadian comedic actor, writer, and television producer
Valri Bromfield (b. 1949), Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and television producer

Historic Events for the Bromfield family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Thomas William Bromfield, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HIMALAYA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Himalaya.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "MADAWASKA" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Madawaska.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html