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Baigent History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Baigent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The Anglo-Saxon name Baigent comes from when its first bearer worked as a coiner or minter. The name is derived from a coin called the byzantius, whose name is derived from the city of Byzantium, where they were minted. The word is derived from the "Middle English besant, besand, the Old French besan, pluralized as besanz, which in turn was derived from the Latin byzantius (nummus), meaning a gold coin." 1

"A bisaunt, bezant, or bizantine was an old coin both in gold and silver, and so called from having been minted at Byzantium. The silver bezant passed current for as. or thereabouts." 2

Early Origins of the Baigent family

The surname Baigent was first found in London, England where Leftwin Besant was recorded 1147-1168. He was listed as a "moneyer" in the Pipe Rolls of 1168. Later, Robert Besant was listed in Clerkenwell, London in 1186-1192 and the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 1

Early History of the Baigent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baigent research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1168, 1194, 1748, 1752, 1776, 1800, 1828, 1836, 1870, 1879, 1901 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Baigent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baigent Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Baigent include Besant, Besaynt, Bezant, Bessant, Besand, Beasant, Bessent, Beazant, Bayzand, Beszant, Bassant, Bassent and many more.

Early Notables of the Baigent family

Distinguished members of the family include Robert Besant, Sheriff of London in 1194. 2 Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901), was a distinguished English novelist and historian. He was the son of wine merchant William Besant (1800-1879) and was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baigent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baigent migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Baigent or a variant listed above:

Baigent Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Baigent, who settled in Victoria, BC in 1862
Martha Baigent, aged 7, who landed in New York in 1862 3

Baigent migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Baigent Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

H Baigent, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Baigent migration to Australia +

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

Baigent Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Baigent, (b. 1815), aged 23, English farm labourer from Staines, Middlesex, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838 4
Mrs. Catherine Baigent, (b. 1815), aged 23, English house servant from Staines, Middlesex, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838 5

Baigent 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:

Baigent Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Baigent, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Mary Ann Baigent, aged 30, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Edward Baigent, aged 9, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Alfred Baigent, aged 8, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Elizabeth Baigent, aged 6, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Baigent (post 1700) +

Richard Baigent (b. 1965), English cricketer born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire
George Baigent (1817-1854), English cricketer born at Northchapel, Sussex
Edward Baigent (1813-1892), English-born, New Zealand sawmiller and politician, from Windlesham, Surrey, Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waimea (1867-1870)
Colin Baigent FMedSci, British professor of epidemiology at the University of Oxford
Michael Baigent (1948-2013), born Michael Barry Meehan, New Zealand writer, speculative theorist, and archaeologist
Henry Baigent (1844-1929), New Zealand sawmiller and politician, founder of H Baigent and Sons Ltd
Harold Verdun Baigent (1916-1996), known as 'Baige', a New Zealand theatre director, actor and arts manager
Robert Edward Series "Bertie" Baigent (b. 1995), British conductor and organist, musical director of the Waterperry Opera Festival

Historic Events for the Baigent family +

HMS Royal Oak

George Henry Baigent (1918-1939), born in Odiham, Hampshire, England, British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 6

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=23
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=24
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html