This name, with variant spellings Baseley, Basley, Bazel(e)y, Bazell(e) etc., derives from the Olde 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, Willelmus filius (son of) Basilie appears in the 1219 'Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire'. The surname is recorded in the mid 13th century, (see below). One Baptist Bazley married Jane Cromwell on the 1st July 1675 at St. Mary's, Marylebone, in London and Elizabeth Bazley, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca, was christened on the 27th August 1738 at St. Sepulchre's. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Basyly, which was dated 1252 in 'The Huntingdon County Rolls', during the reign of King Henry 111, known as 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.