This unusual name has two possible origins, the first of which is locational, from the place called 'Bossall' in North Yorkshire. It is first recorded as 'Boscele' and 'Bosciale' in the Domesday Book of 1086, and means 'Botsige's haugh', from the old English pre 7th Century personal name 'Botsige', and 'halh', which in the north of England became 'haugh', a piece of flat alluvial land by the side of a river. The second possible origin for the name Bus(s)well is from the surname 'Bissell', a metonymic occupational name for a corn factor or merchant, one who measured corn.
The derivation is from the Middle English 'busshell', meaning 'bushel', measure of corn. There are a number of variants of the name, including Busswell, Bissell, Biswell, Bishell, Boshell and Bushill'. Early recordings include Alan Buseel of Yorkshire in 1140, and Richard Bussell of Bedford in the year 1200. Church recordings include Thomas Bushell of London on July 3rd 1586, and Major George Bushell of Barbados on January 9th 1685. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rodger Buissel. which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book, Somerset. during the reign of King William 1, known as the Conqueror, 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname biswell is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. We can try to trace the genealogy of the surname biswell, and in addition to the original locations of biswell, we can find out where people with the surname biswell can currently be found.
The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname biswell provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations. The mobility of people carrying the surname biswell has led to its presence in different countries, as you can verify.
For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname biswell, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of biswell developed. The history, heraldry, coats of arms, and possible nobility of the surname biswell are scattered in documents across various regions and historical periods, so it is necessary to reconstruct a complex puzzle to approach the facts from a realistic perspective.
We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about biswell and send it to us, we will update it on this website. Please note that if you are in a position to provide more data about the surname biswell or any other surname and its origin, we would appreciate your collaboration with us by sending us information about the origin of biswell.
Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname biswell were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. A surname like biswell can connect a person to an illustrious lineage and a distinguished coat of arms. However, it must be kept in mind that it is individual people who, through their lives and actions, bring fame and recognition to their surnames.
The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of biswell are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. We consider it highly advisable to refer to the following sources if you wish to conduct research on the surname biswell, as well as many other surnames.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of biswell, and at the same time, of surnames in general.