Where did the English bradley family come from? What is the English coat of arms/family crest? When did the bradley family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name bradley have been found, including Bradley, Bradlie, Bradleigh, Bradly, Bradeley and others.
First found in Lancashire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name bradley, or a variant listed above: Ann Bradley who settled in Nevis in 1654; Bartholomew Bradley settled in Virginia in 1650; George Bradley settled in the Barbados in 1684; Richard Bradley settled in Maryland in 1634.
Motto Translated: Vigilant and bold.
Suggested Readings for the name bradley
* The Ancestors of Leland Shaw Bradley by Leland Shaw Bradley.
* The Bradley Family by Frederick W. Bradley.
Some noteworthy people of the name bradley
* Bill Bradley (b. 1943), American politican and professional Basketball Player, Democratic senator from New Jersey.
* Ed Bradley (1941-2006), American broadcast journalist
* Milton Bradley (1836-1911), American draftsman, lithographer and entrepreneur, best known as the founder of the Milton Bradley Company, makers of family board games
* Omar Nelson Bradley (1893-1981), American general during World War II
* Andrew Cecil Bradley, English scholar
* Francis Herbert Bradley, English idealist philosopher
* Henry Bradley, English lexicographer, senior editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (1915–1923)
* Sir John Stanley Travers Bradley (1888-1982), English, RAF Air Marshall
* Francis Herbert Bradley, British philosopher
Please be aware that there is more than one coat of arms for this surname. If you would like this particular coat of arms, you must describe it on your order form. If you don't describe it on your order form, we will provide you with the oldest coat of arms on record for this surname, which may or may not be the one pictured above.
Orders over $90 qualify for Free Shipping within the U.S. (Use coupon code: FREESHIP).