Ecclestone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The lineage of the name Ecclestone begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in a region named Eccleston in Lancashire and Chester. The surname Ecclestone is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Ecclestone family

The surname Ecclestone was first found in Lancashire at Eccleston, a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley. This place gave name to a family as early as the reign of Richard I. Alan de Eccleston was listed as a tenant of Edward III and his pedigree ascends to the time of Henry III. This township is probably the Eglestun of Domesday Book of 1086. 1

Another early record of the surname was Thomas of Eccleston (fl. 1250), a thirteenth century English Franciscan chronicler, best known for his "De Adventu Fratrum Minorum in Angliam." It tells the story of when Franciscan friars first came to England in 1224 to about 1258. He was known as "Brother Thomas" and was later given the title "of Eccleston." 2

Early History of the Ecclestone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ecclestone research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1605, 1610, 1611, 1623, 1659, 1688, 1697, 1712 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Ecclestone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ecclestone Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Ecclestone has undergone many spelling variations, including Eccleston, Ecclestone, Eccleton and others.

Early Notables of the Ecclestone family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

William Ecclestone or Egglestone (fl. 1610-1623), was an actor in English Renaissance theatre and member of Shakespeare's company the King's Men. He seems to have been born in Southwark, where his fat...

Migration of the Ecclestone family to Ireland

Some of the Ecclestone 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.

Ecclestone migration to Australia +

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

Ecclestone Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Ecclestone, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ecclestone (post 1700) +

Arthur Ecclestone (b. 1902), English footballer
Giles William Ecclestone (b. 1968), English cricketer
George Walter Ecclestone (b. 1865), Canadian hardware merchant and politician who represented Muskoka in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1916 to 1934
Timothy James "Tim" Ecclestone (b. 1947), Canadian NHL professional ice hockey left winger from Toronto, Ontario
Petra Ecclestone (b. 1988), British heiress, model, fashion designer and socialite
Tamara Ecclestone (b. 1984), Italian-born, British socialite, television personality and model
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone (b. 1930), British businessman, President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration

The Ecclestone 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: Spero meliora
Motto Translation: I hope for better things.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840