BAGSHAW
Bagshaw is a surname of Anglo‑Saxon provenance, situated within the British Isles and specifically within England. The name is locational in nature, indicating a person who originally dwelt adjacent to a hedge or thicket. It derives from the Old English words bagge—meaning a hedge, fork or enclosure—and sceaga, meaning a thicket or copse. Accordingly, the surname has often been interpreted in the sense of “dweller by the hedge” or “resident of the thicket”.
In the early medieval period the place that gave its name to Bagshaw was situated in Derbyshire. The placename can be traced back to the pre‑7th‑century personal name Bacga, of uncertain etymology, combined with sceaga; thus it originally signified Bacga’s wood or Bacga’s copse. The earliest surviving references to the name appear as Baggeshage and Baggeshawe in 1318, within a collection of documents known as the “Place Names of Derbyshire”. These early forms confirm the locative character of the surname and record its earliest orthographic variations.
By the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the surname had become hereditary, passing from one generation to the next. The name is recorded in the “Poll Tax Records of the West Riding of Yorkshire” under the spelling de Bagschaghe in 1379, during the reign of King Richard II of Bordeaux. The persistence of this spelling demonstrates the name’s continued association with the region of Yorkshire, an area within the broader English milieu that later became home to several notable Bagshaw families.
A prominent lineage of the bow is that of the Bagshawe family, associated with Wormhill and Ford Hall near Hucklow in Derbyshire. They may be traced back to William Bagshawe, lord of the manor of Hucklow in 1662. The family’s prominence continued into the early modern period with the ecclesiastical career of Henry Bagshaw (1632–1709), a distinguished divine. Educated at Westminster and Christ Church, Oxford, he attained his M.A. in 1657 and a D.D. in 1671. During his ministry he served as chaplain to Sir Richard Fanshaw in 1663, to the Archbishop of York in 1666, and to the Lord‑chancellor Danby in 1672. He was subsequently appointed prebendary of York and Durham, and his sermons were published and esteemed by his contemporaries.
The coat of arms officially granted to the Bagshaw family bears the blazon: a silver field with a black bugle‑horn between three red roses, the roses seeded gold; the crest shows an arm couped at the elbow and erect, proper, grasping a black bugle‑horn, stringed green. This heraldic device reflects the family’s establishment in English society and its association with both military service and ecclesiastical standing.
Today the surname Bagshaw remains recognised within the United Kingdom, although its bearers are dispersed throughout the country and beyond. Its etymological roots and the historical record of its usage illustrate the enduring nature of locational surnames in England and their capacity to preserve the memory of local landscapes and familial heritage for the present day.
Typical given names associated with the Bagshaw surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Emma
- Janet
- Joanne
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Maxine
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Bagshaw in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Bagshaw are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 3,954 people named Bagshaw in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,362nd most common surname in Britain. Around 61 in a million people in Britain are named Bagshaw.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Bagshaw
- Amy Bagshaw - Artistic gymnast
- James Bagshaw - Football player (1885 to 1966)
- Enoch Bagshaw - American football player and coach (1884 to 1930)
- Harry Bagshaw - Cricketer (1859 to 1927)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.