A Native American's wealth is not judged by the size of his bank roll but by the number of relatives he has. Likewise as my Family History Research has grown from my immediate family to encompass my sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, numerous 3rd cousins and beyond I consider my self to be very wealthy.
The Balkwill Story begins in the early 1300's with a Plantagenet knight Robert de Bacquie'lle (c1305) who was granted lands in Cheshire, on which the town of Bakewell stands today. The surname Bacquie'lle, pronounced Bagwil, is the common root from which the modern surnames of Balkwill, Baldwin, and Baskerville, with all their variants, are derived. Probably, due to the need for good farm land some of our forefathers came to Devon to farm.
The first recorded entry in the parish registers of Devon, at a time when registers first began, was the marriage of Francis Balkwill to a Sarah (1585) in Newton Abbot.
It's very likely that the Balkwill's were established in Devon long before this date.
From this isolated shire county set on the western edge of the ancient kingdom of Wessex, the Balkwill family flourished and grew in numbers, being mainly engaged in farming. This was their land, their heritage, their reservation. In the late 1700's and early 1800's many Balkwill's left these shores and crossed the great waters to the vast plains and great lakes of the new world. These kinsfolk learned quickly how to adapt and flourished in their new life. The Balkwill's in the far west, in time, became a distinct group whom I have given the name "Lakota Balkwill's". Those that remain on the reservation too this day and there are many (myself included) I have named "Dakota Balkwill's". The Balkwill's that left at the same time as the "Lakota" to migrate north to the rest of the United Kingdom and to the lands of the southern hemisphere: - South Africa, Australia and New Zealand I have named "Nakota Balkwill's". Which ever branch of the Balkwill Nation you identify with, it is important that we work together to preserve our common heritage. That together we might leave a rich legacy to enrich the lives of our children. We each have a part to play before we too become part of history. The aim of this web site is to work with other like minded people to link as many Balkwill's as possible in friendship and kinship without sacrificing accuracy or truth.
I would like to thank Ken Balkwill (Canada) and Jan Balkwill (England) for being the source of my inspiration. I would also like to thank my 3rd cousins, Hilary Jackman (nee Balkwill), Helen Clark (nee Balkwill) and Julie Mayne (Hooper/ Balkwill branch) for sharing information with me. I am also grateful to Julie for verifying a lot of my work. I would also like to acknowledge Dale Lovering who was the source of some of the material associated with the Balkwill/Lovering connection.