Bradshaw Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Bradshaw Family History

Bradshaw Family History

The Bradshaw ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Variations of the name Bradshaw include Brayshaw, Brashaw and Brayshay. Meaning 'of Bradshaw', this is a locational name of a village in the chapelry of Illingworth, near Halifax. Some of the Lancashire Bradshaws are from Bradshaw Hall near Wigan, originally spelt Bradshaigh, but the majority are from Bradshaw, an old chapelry in Bolton Parish. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in these countries. Examples of such are a Johannes Bradeschawe who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379, and an Alan de Bradeshagh of Radcliffe, who was recorded in the 'Lay Subsidy Rolls' in the year 1332.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

The Bradshaw family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Bradshaw descendants.