The Pease Family

The Pease family, it would seem, from such earliest record as there is, dates to the period circa 1485, starting with one Robert Pease. He is placed as living in Essex, in the area of Great Baddow, which these days, is a southern suburb of the town of Chelmsford and which was presumably at one time, a much smaller community than it is today. It has been suggested by two sides of the family, that the origins go back further still, to either Germany or Holland. The Hull branch of the family incline to favour Germany, which is suggestive by the incorporation of a Germanic crest within an early variant of their arms. However, the Darlington branch hold to the Dutch origin. The truth has yet to be established.

Some members of the Pease family dispersed from nearby Great Baddow in the late 1400's or shortly thereafter. A few it is believed, remained behind, whilst others moved onward to America. One branch from Great Stambridge, moved northwards to Yorkshire, where they settled at Sykehouse near Fishlake, a few miles South-east of Pontefract. For some two hundred years they remained within that district, with some members of the family returning South to establish themselves in Woolwich (London) and others moving to the neighbouring Great Preston area and also to Felkirk and Shafton, some 5miles north-east of Barnsley. Others moved  to Darlington in County Durham. The Sykehouse and Fishlake Peases, having embraced the Quaker philosophy as espoused by George Fox, became firm adherents to the Society of Friends, which owing to its requirement that members married within the Society, became linked to many other well established Quaker families over many generations.