Contents [hide]

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 French name Baigent is of Medieval origin. It was a Norman name for a person whose speech is affected by a stutter. The word begin was Old French slang for a person who stuttered. As such, the name is commonly called a nickname.

Early Origins of the Baigent family

The surname Baigent was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family first established itself as an important participant in the cultural and political events of the region.

Jean Béguin was a renown chemist responsible for the discovery of the chemical calomel in 1608. Jacques Begin is recorded as a prominent member of the family who later established himself in the diocese of Lisieux in 1620. Michel Bégon (1638-1710), was a French administrator after whom the "begonia" plant was named in his honor. Jacques-François Begouen, a Count of the Empire under Napoleon and Abbey of Valasse, became a senior member of the Council of State and received his title of nobility in 1808. Along with these credits, he received a large area of land worth over 10,400 francs at the time.

Louis Begin, baptized on 28th September 1636, son of Jacques and Diane (née Meloque), travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Jeanne Durand, born in 1654, daughter of Martin and Françoise (née Brunet), on 15th October 1668. 1

Early History of the Baigent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baigent research. The years 1525, 1528, 1544, 1631, 1638, 1667, 1702, 1710, 1747, 1808 and 1812 are included under the topic Early Baigent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baigent Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Begin, Bégin, Begine, Bégine, Beguin, Béguin, Beguine, Béguine, Beguinet, Béguinet, Beguinot, Béguinot, Beghin, Béghin, Begouin, Bégouin, Begon, Bégon, Begouen, Bégouen, Begougne, Bégougne and many more.

Early Notables of the Baigent family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Nicolas Lebègue (Le Bègue) (ca. 1631-1702), a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist; François-Barthélémy Beguinot, a Count of the Empire, who became a senator and received his title of nobility in 1808; Michel Bégon, known as Michel V Bégon or le Grand Bégon (1638-1710), a French ancien regime official; and his son, Michel Bégon de la Picardière (1667-1747)...
Another 66 words (5 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 +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Baigent were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Baigent were

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 2

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 3
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 4

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) +

Colin Baigent FMedSci, British professor of epidemiology at the University of Oxford
Richard Baigent (b. 1965), English cricketer born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire
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
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)
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 5

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
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