Contents [hide]

Acourt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Acourt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Acourt comes from when the family resided at the court, a phrase which may have indicated either a large mansion or a tribunal. The prefix A was often dropped by the 13th century, when many branches of the family became known as Court. Some historians have suggested that certain variations of the name may be nicknames derived from the Old French and Old English word curt, meaning short or truncated. However, time has confused the different derivations, and it is now extremely difficult to tell which is appropriate to a given family or situation.

Early Origins of the Acourt family

The surname Acourt was first found in "Covert or Couert, Normandy, [who] held by the service of 1 fee of the barony or Braiose [Briouze]." 1 William de Braose (Briouze), First Lord of Bramber (died c. 1096) was granted extensive lands in Sussex by William the Conqueror. Accordingly, the Acourt family held lands from him in Sussex. In 1107, William de Cuvert witnessed the foundation charter of Barnstaple and years later William Guvert (Cuvert) held a fee of ancient enfeoffment from William de Courcy in Somerset. 1

Early History of the Acourt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acourt research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1532, 1550, 1552, 1553, 1556 and 1582 are included under the topic Early Acourt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acourt Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Acourt include A'Court, Court, Courte, Couert, Covert, Courtie, Courts and many more.

Early Notables of the Acourt family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Curteys (1532?-1582), Bishop of Chichester, a native of Lincolnshire. "He received his academical education at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was elected to a scholarship on the...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Acourt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Acourt family to Ireland

Some of the Acourt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acourt migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Acourt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Acourt, (A'court), (b. 1823), aged 14, English errand boy who was convicted in Dorset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2
Elizabeth Acourt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Andromache" in 1850 3
Jacob Acourt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Andromache" in 1850 3

Acourt migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Acourt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Acourt, who landed in Lower Hutt, New Zealand in 1840
James A'Court, aged 25, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Catherine A'Court, aged 21, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842

Acourt migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Acourt Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

John Acourt, who landed in Barbados in 1715 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Acourt (post 1700) +

Alan A'Court (1934-2009), English footballer
Charles A'Court (1819-1903), Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom
Dennis A'Court (b. 1937), Welsh cricketer

The Acourt Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Grandescunt aucta labore
Motto Translation: What is increased by Labour grows greater.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ANDROMACHE 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Andromache.gif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)