A chance meeting with a member of the other Drew family in my local area sent me off looking at Drew names in Kent. There, I found a couple of my strays - Francis Drew (born Penzance) and his wife and first cousin once removed, Louisa Drew (born Surrey). After chasing their offspring through the census and FreeBMD, I thought I'd look further into the matter of Francis's sister, Mary and her husband, the sea captain William Beckerleg.
This led me into the magical world of the Beckerleg family of Newlyn-Paul-Madron-Penzance and names like Barzillai. And there's not just one Barzillai - he had a son, Barzillai and a father Barzillai, and there's another Barzillai who was a baker in Madron. Google found me Barzillai Beckerleg Bennetts known as Barrie, a rugby player of some note. Who knows, there might still be a Barzillai Beckerleg down that way somewhere?
I don't really have a question about this matter, apart possibly from asking about the origins of 'Barzillai' and the family name Beckerleg. Really, I just wanted to share with you all my enchantment of finding such a wonderful (and fanciful) name.
Of course, if there are any descendants of Barzillai Beckerleg and Grace Tonkin who would like to know more about the Mary Drew that married William Beckerleg, I would enjoy hearing from you.
PS I've just found a Barzillai Beckerleg graduating from Auckland University as a LL. B. in 1923.
Results 1 to 10 of 19
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30-01-2007, 10:22 AM #1GeoffDGuest
Barzillai BECKERLEG - Now That's a Name To Be Reckoned With
Last edited by GeoffD; 30-01-2007 at 10:27 AM.
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30-01-2007, 1:41 PM #2jeebGuest
Beckerleg
Hi Geoff,
I researched slightly into this surname when a Martha Beckalegg married a Robert Boaz in Cambourne in 1764. I thought it would be an uncommon surname but it wasn't! I too found this wonderful array of unusual Christian names in the Beckerleg family, mainly in the parish of Paul. The earliest I have is Mihell in 1633 but other names I jotted down because of the unusual Christian names are:- Aves, Gwavas, Barzillia, Chimham, Oner & Pearn Cock. I do not know if these names connect to Martha but thought them interesting and wondered like you, what the origin was. I came to the conclusion that as many Mariners visited and settled in Cornwall that is how the names arrived. That said Chimham is the son of Barzillai in the Bible.
Cheers Jeremy
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30-01-2007, 3:19 PM #3MarkJGuest
Beckerleg is not an uncommon surname in Cornwall - I know a few people with that surname from the Newquay area - fisherman mostly.
Gwavas, as mentioned by Jeremy, is also the name of a large estate in Newlyn.
The name Pearn is seen as a surname occasionally in Cornwall and Cock is very very common as a surname here.
Mark
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30-01-2007, 4:17 PM #4DavranGuest
Found this on www.
biblelearn.com/east0460.htm"]https://www.biblelearn.com/east0460.htm:
Barzillai - of iron.
(1.) A Meholathite, the father of Adriel (2 Sam. 21:8).
(2.) A Gileadite of Rogelim who was distinguished for his loyalty to David. He liberally provided for the king's followers (2 Sam. 17:27). David on his death-bed, remembering his kindness, commended Barzillai's children to the care of Solomon (2 Sam. 21:8).
(2.) A Gileadite of Rogelim who was distinguished for his loyalty to David. He liberally provided for the king's followers (2 Sam. 17:27). David on his death-bed, remembering his kindness, commended Barzillai's children to the care of Solomon (1 Kings 2:7).
(3.) A priest who married a daughter of the preceding (Ezra 2:61).
I'm not a biblical/hebrew scholar, but wasn't 'bar' a prefix, eg Bar-abas, the thief? There are some wonderful names in the bible - Kerenhappuch is one of my favourites.Last edited by Davran; 30-01-2007 at 4:18 PM. Reason: repeating bug
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30-01-2007, 8:50 PM #5GeoffDGuest
Thank you all for those replies. Some of those Barzillais were certainly 'men of iron', in that there seems to be a lot of Master Mariners among them (and the celebrated rugby player of the early 1900s). Don't know about the baker, although he seemed to be able to parlay the bakery in Madron into Barzillai Beckerleg & Co. (Back Lane. 1. Barzillai Beckerleg & Co., Bakers. - Coulson's Directory 1864.) (Beckerleg Barzillai, jun. & Co. wholesale & retail bread and biscuit bakers, Bread Street.
Beckerleg Barzillai, master mariner, 42 Belgravia Street. - Kelley's Directory 1883).
The Beckerlegs certainly got around, by the maps contained herein:
surname.sofeminine.co.uk/w/surnames/surname-beckerleg.htmlLast edited by GeoffD; 30-01-2007 at 8:55 PM.
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03-02-2007, 6:34 AM #6GeoffDGuest
Barzillai, William's brother
He popped up in Wales Census a couple of times (1881 & 1891), Master of a different ship at each Census.
This is fun, chasing these Beckerlegs.
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08-06-2008, 9:41 PM #7SmyrnamiGuest
Hello,
I have many many Barzillai's in my Inman line. So far I have traced them back to Yorkshire in 1766. The name was very popular among their offspring for over 100 years. Glad I found your post, I know more than I did before.
Thanks,
Kim
(Michigan, U.S.A.)
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09-06-2008, 1:33 AM #8
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Posts
- 190
You can even look up his personal papers:
www.
nram.org.nz/record.php?id=6065&parent=nramindexbyvolume&volume =A
It seems his descendants are still around Auckland University, where M.... Beckerleg is an engineering lecturer. And there is another generation of Beckerleg lawyers in Auckland today.
But no Barzillais in the phone book!
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26-06-2008, 5:01 PM #9alanjohnGuest
tuckingmill,camborne
I was out All saints church today in Tuckingmill,there's a couple of Beckerlegs out there too.
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03-08-2010, 9:53 AM #10JuliejGuest
Would anyone know of a Prothesia Beckerleg? She was apparently born on board a ship from England bound for Australia in 1854, and is my great grand mother. I know that that arm of the family came from Cornwall. Her Christian name seems to fit with some of the others mentioned above (a little unusual?)
Julie
Helping you trace your British Family History & British Genealogy.
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