This name, with variant spellings Baseley, Basley, Bazele)y, Bazell(e) etc., derives from the Old French Basyle or Bazile, variant forms of the Latin Basilia, ultimately from the Greek Basileios meaning "Royal". The name was borne by a 4th Century bishop of Cappadocia, regarded as one of The Four Fathers of the Eastern Church, and is first recorded in England as Basilia in the 1134 "Pipe Rolls of Norfolk". One, Willemus Filius (son of) Basilie appears in the 1219 "Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire". The surname is recorded in the mid 13th Century, (see below). On November 17th 1562, Peter Basley and Margaret Jones were married in St. Margaret's, Westminster, and on February 17th 1638, Margarett, daughter of George and Elizabeth Bazely, was christened in St. Andrew's, Holborn, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Basyly, which was dated 1252 - "The Huntingdon County Rolls", during the reign of King Henry 111, "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.

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