Show ContentsPeasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Peasley Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Peasley

What does the name Peasley mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Peasley come from when the family resided in Beesley, in the county of Lancashire. 1 The place name literally means 'woodland clearing' having derived from the Old English beos 'bent grass' + leah. 2

However, one source claims the family came from Baslow, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bakewell, hundred of High Peak in Derbyshire. 3

Early Origins of the Peasley family

The surname Peasley was first found in Lancashire where Thomas de Besleg was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. 1

While this is the generally accepted place of origin, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had no mention of the family there in later years, as these rolls listed Hugh filius Basilie, Nottinghamshire; Alan Basel, Cambridgeshire; Richard Baseli, Oxfordshire; John Basely, Cambridgeshire; and Michael Basely, Buckinghamshire. 3

Early History of the Peasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peasley research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1588, 1591, 1655 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Peasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peasley 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. Peasley has been recorded under many different variations, including Beazley, Beasley, Beasely, Beesely, Beesley, Bezley, Beasey and many more.

Early Notables of the Peasley family

George Beesley or Bisley (d. 1591), English Catholic missioner, born at a place called the Mount, in Goosnargh parish, in Lancashire. "Ordained priest in 1587 he was sent upon the English mission in 1588. Falling into the hands of the persecutors he was so frequently tortured by the notorious Topcliffe that he was reduced to a mere skeleton...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peasley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peasley Ranking

the United States, the name Peasley is the 13,960th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Peasley family to Ireland

Some of the Peasley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peasley migration to Australia +

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

First Fleet
  • Miss Hannah Peasley, (b. 1762), aged 25, British convict convicted in Somerset, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Peasley (post 1700) +

  • Captain Ralph Erksine "Matt" Peasley (1866-1948), American sea captain from the Pacific Northwest, inspiration of the popular series of short stories by Peter Bernard Kyne called Cappy Ricks or the Subjugation of Matt Peasley
  • Marv Peasley (1889-1948), American Major League Baseball left handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in 1910
  • Ed Peasley (b. 1935), American football player and head football coach at Northern Arizona University from 1971 to 1974
  • Andrew Peasley (b. 2000), American football quarterback for the New York Mets (2024)
  • Aaron Peasley (1775-1837), American businessman, one of early America's foremost military uniform button makers
  • Cheryl Peasley (b. 1951), Australian Olympic sprinter who competed in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships

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