Baston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Early Origins of the Baston family

The surname Baston was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of St Columb Major who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Sebastian is a masculine given name that is derived from the Latin name Sebastianus meaning "from Sebastia" and is also a surname derived from Saint Sebastian (died c. 288), an early Christian saint and martyr.

Early History of the Baston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baston research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1510, 1535 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Baston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baston Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Baston are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Baston include Bastian, Basten, Bastin, Bastien, Bastion, Baston and many more.

Early Notables of the Baston family

More information is included under the topic Early Baston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baston migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Baston, or a variant listed above:

Baston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Baston, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1663 2
Mr. Baston, who landed in Carolina in 1679 2

Baston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Hector Baston, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Franziska"
Mrs. Caro Baston, (nee Luecke), German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Franziska"

Contemporary Notables of the name Baston (post 1700) +

Bert Baston (1894-1979), American football player elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954
Maceo Demond Baston (b. 1976), American professional basketball player
John Baston (1711-1733), English flautist, recorder player, and composer
Vincent Baston (1919-1963), Irish hurler

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)