| Distribution of the Bolsover surname |
| There were 318 people listed in
1881 census with name Bolsover (284), Balsover (12) or Boulsover (22), and one person with
name Bolstover. The 318 were spread through very few
counties as follows
|
Yorkshire |
140 |
44% |
|
|
Derbyshire |
95 |
30% |
|
|
Lancashire |
51 |
16% |
|
|
Cheshire |
15 |
5% |
|
|
Leicestershire |
7 |
2% |
|
|
Durham |
5 |
2% |
|
|
London |
3 |
1% |
|
|
Isle of Man |
2 |
<1% |
|
|
Total |
318 |
|
|
|
Modern variants on Bolsover surname
Balsover - retaining its popularity
Ballsover - another popular variant
Bolsouer - mainly down to my handwriting (rare)
Botsoer - unique to restaurant table booking
Bolsoug - inexplicable and very rare
|
| Origin of Bolsover surname |
|
The Bolsover surname comes from the town of
Bolsover in Derbyshire. The castle round which the town grew up was founded by William
Peverel shortly after the conquest, but the existing building, a castellated
residence, was erected on this site in 1613. The town itself was fortified, and traces of
early works remain. So far as I know, no one named Bolsover has ever lived at the castle;
the first 'Bolsovers' were people who lived in the town below the castle.
There are several explanations
for the origin of the town name.
Bols- could be "Bol's"
[someone's name] or "Bull's".
-over could mean "ridge" or
"pasture".
Hence "Bull's pasture" etc.
Personally, I rather like the suggestion that it could come from "Baal's"-over, or 'devil's pasture'.
|
