Recorded in the spellings of Beastall, Bestall, Bestwall and the dialectals Beswell and Biswell, this is an English locational surname. We believe that it originates from the village of Bestwell in the county of Dorset, where various early recordings have been found, but it is just as likely to originate from a now 'lost' medieval village. Many British surnames do originate from places of which the only public record in the late 20th century is the surname, often as with this one, in a wide variety of recordings.
The place name is believed to derive from the descriptive phrase of 'by the east wall', however we suggest that another meaning may be 'the cattle barn' from the Olde English pre 7th century 'beste - halh', or even 'beste - waella', the place where the cattle drank. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Beastwelle' which would give credence to the latter speculation. Examples of recordings taken from surviving church registers include: Ellin Bestle, at St Botolphs church, Bishopgate, city of London, on April 21st 1594, John Biswell of Long Burton, Dorset, on August 5th 1602, and Thomas Beastall, the son of Edward Beastall, christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on December 16th 1730.
Discovering the historical origins of Beswell is an incredibly exciting journey that takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who built this lineage. Like most surnames, the history of the surname Beswell is a thorny and surprising journey into the past in order to find out the origin of the surname Beswell, which leads us to have more knowledge about those who bear the surname Beswell, their origin, their coat of arms, the bibliography in which it appears... It is possible to trace their genealogy and, in addition to the original places of Beswell, we know where it is possible to find people with the surname Beswell today.
View complete list of Beswell in the world
The history of Beswell is an interesting sequence of events that were protagonized by the people who have held the surname Beswell throughout history, and it is possible to trace this history back to the first bearers of the surname Beswell. Their feats, their way of life, the places they lived, their family relationships, the jobs they held... All of this is crucial for anyone who, like you, is interested in having more information about the historical, heraldic, coat of arms, and nobility of the surname Beswell. In the following lines, you can find everything we have been able to compile about the surname Beswell. However, if you have more information that you would like to share, we would greatly appreciate your contribution to expand the knowledge of people who, like you, are looking to increase their knowledge about the surname Beswell.
Unfortunately, we do not have any more historical information about Beswell than the one we have provided with pleasure. We invite those who visit us on this website to analyze the recommended bibliography and to come back often, since we often receive valuable collaborations from other people interested in the origin and history of surnames that could have information of special interest about the surname Beswell, and that we would update on this website as soon as possible (after a previous verification). Similarly, if you consider yourself one of those people, we urge you to support us and send us the information about Beswell that is available to you, thanking you in advance for your detail.
There have probably been some significant Beswell throughout the history of humanity, even if, for some reason, not all of their contributions were included in the chronicles of the time or their data has not come down to the present day. Unfortunately, not all of the important contributions of people who have carried the surname Beswell were taken into account at the time by the chroniclers of the time. Although a surname has the ability to link a person to a famous lineage and a glorious coat of arms, it is individuals who, throughout their lives and by virtue of some outstanding or important achievements for the society in which they lived, give their surnames renown and it is possible to establish prominent lineages. For this reason, we want to highlight on this website those people with the surname Beswell who, for some reason, have left their mark on the course of history.
Based on all the research we have been able to gather so far, we can say that there is information available about the history, genealogy, and heraldry of the surname Beswell thanks to bibliographic sources. This means that we can discover more about its original meaning, origin, history, coat of arms, and heraldry. Our recommendation is to consult the following sources if you want to conduct research on the surname Beswell, as well as many other surnames:
These sources are essential for taking a step forward in the study of Beswell, and of surnames in general.